The Ex In The Equation
by NatesMama
Summary: An old flame shows up to complicate things for Brennan, but can Booth help bail her out? And will helping her put Booth in more danger than Brennan?
1. Quagmire

This is my first published fan fic, so please be as kind or as brutal as you need to! :)

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Chapter One: Quagmire

It was a crisp, bright December afternoon when FBI Special Agent Seeley Booth strolled through the glass doors of the Jeffersonian Institution's Medico-Legal Lab in search of his partner, Dr. Temperance Brennan. Ostensibly, he was there to get new details on their current case, a 24 year-old woman who was murdered and whose body was left on the steps of the Washington Monument. But in reality, he just wanted to see his Bones.

If he truly stopped to think about it, his relationship with Brennan was twistedly co-dependent...on his end. He honestly could not definitively verify that she felt as strongly about him as he felt for her, which is probably why he didn't stop to think about it very often. He had enough things in his life to depress him, knowing for certain that Bones thought of him as nothing but a friend (and never would think of him as anything more) would simply be the icing on the crap cake his life had become lately. Brain tumors and kidnappings had nothing on the sadness he knew he would feel if Brennan ever truly turned him away...romantically or otherwise.

Running up the steps to the forensic platform after scanning his access card, Booth looked around for any signs of life in the midst of the death this clean, organized and sterile area usually encompassed. Seeing no one, he stepped down the right side and walked slowly to Brennan's glass-enclosed office. Slowly, because he could see that she was not alone...and with a sinking feeling in his stomach, he realized that he recognized the tall man standing in front of Bones' desk. He stopped just out of sight, but just inside hearing range, hoping to find out what former FBI agent Tim Sullivan wanted from his ex-girlfriend.

"You wouldn't believe the way the water looks in Montserrat, Tempe! Just gorgeous...and the skies are cloudless and almost as blue as your eyes." Sully said with a ghost of a smile on his face.

"It does sound lovely, Sully.' Brennan replied, "I'm glad you're happy with your life now."

Outside the office, Booth could hear Sully's steps as he walked in front of the desk.

"Tempe, I still think that you would love it. I know you said that you couldn't come, but I want you to at least think about it.. Please?"

"Sully...you've been gone for over two years! You've never even asked me what my life is like now, if I'm seeing anyone...nothing. Why do you assume that I am not only available, but at all interested in following you all over God knows where for God knows how long? You left, without so much as a backward glance, and not a single call, email or text in the time you've been gone. Your gall is astounding!" Brennan was absolutely livid, and Booth couldn't help but grin to himself. _"That's my girl."_, he thought.

Inside the office, Brennan was in a panic, albeit quietly and to herself. She was in no way interested in getting involved with Sully again. He had, while not exactly breaking her heart, hurt her in a way that was unforgivable. But to admit to him that she was currently uninvolved was not something she was willing to do....especially since she was still trying to reconcile her feelings for a certain FBI agent partner since their near-kiss at the Anok Exhibit. She knew her former lover was tenacious, so when Sully finally recovered from her rant to ask her if she had someone in her life, she blurted the only thing she could think of.

"Yes, Booth and I are in a relationship, and have been for quite some time.", she said, hoping Sully didn't have the same skill set as Booth for sniffing out a lie.

Sully was truly flabbergasted. But not as flabbergasted as Booth was, standing outside the door. In fact, his jaw dropped open so quickly he swore he heard it creak.

Sully managed to recover first, sputtering a response to Brennan's shocking statement.

"Seriously? Booth?!? Wow, Tempe...I just never thought that the two of you were in any way compatible. You're just so different!"

For some reason, even though her relationship with Booth was a complete fabrication, Brennan took umbrage to Sully's comments.

"I don't know what you're talking about! We are more alike than you know. In fact, we have a connection that is indescribable. Something that you and I could never have had. Ever!"

Booth decided that it was time to help Brennan out, and save her from defending the two of them any further.

"Bones! You feel like getting some lunch, babe?" He stepped into the office, and pretended to be shocked by her visitor. "Sully? Hey! When did you get back to town?"

Sully stepped forward and shook Booth's proffered hand, replying, "Just yesterday. I thought I would stop by and try to reconnect with Tempe, see how she was doing. Apparently, she is doing very well."

Booth looked at Brennan's shocked face and surreptitiously winked at her. "Yeah...well...everything happens eventually, doesn't it, Bones?"

"I...uh...yes. Yes, it does." Brennan recovered sufficiently enough to walk towards Booth and wrap her arm around his back, smiling at Sully.

Booth placed his arm over Brennan's shoulders and kissed her cheek with a smile on his face. "Would you like to join us for lunch, Sul?"

"Um, sure. We can catch up, I guess.", Sully replied, looking like he wanted to do anything but join them at that moment. "I'll take my car and meet you there? The diner?"

"Absolutely." Booth answered, walking over to grab Brennan's coat. "We'll see you there."

After Sully had walked across the platform and was safely out of sight, Brennan turned to Booth in dismay.

"Booth! Were you listening at the door?"

"Not intentionally, Bones. I was just walking up when I heard you talking. I couldn't help but overhear, and I figured you would appreciate the help." He threw her a smile to let her know that he was perfectly okay with the situation.

But Brennan was mortified. "I can't believe how embarrassing this is....I am so sorry, Booth! I just didn't want him to think that I was sitting here waiting for him...and you know how hardheaded he is. If he knew I was single, he wouldn't leave me alone. And I couldn't think of anyone else that would care enough to back me up if I misled him." Brennan looked at the floor, not willing to make eye contact.

Booth placed his hand on her shoulder, rubbing softly. "Bones, you don't have any reason to be sorry. I am happy to do anything to help you out, you know that. And I am aware of how Sully hurt you, so the idea of you getting back together with him does bother me, so if I can try to head that off, I'm more than willing." _'If it keeps Sully away from you until he leaves again, I would willingly crawl on my hands and knees over broken glass. Pretending to date you is a walk in the park, comparatively.' Booth thought to himself with a grin._

Brennan smiled as Booth took her hand in his and walked her across the lab, through the sliding glass doors, and down the corridor to the elevator. While her internal, rational self began to wage war with her more emotional side, what she was feeling with Booth's warm skin encompassing hers felt so comfortable and right that she secretly rooted for her heart to win this battle...and, ultimately, the war.

To the victor, goes the spoils....right?

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Reviews help me to improve my writing and are much appreciated! Thanks!


	2. Firewalker

Chapter Two: Firewalker

Booth and Brennan entered the diner, having spent the 10 minute trip there getting their story straight. Booth decided that they had been dating, in secret, for 9 months and Brennan agreed that story would make the most sense. Neither wanted to get more elaborate, in case they forgot themselves and fell back into their more traditional "just partners" relationship. Besides, they spent almost every waking moment together as it was, so they were already more than comfortable and any secrets they had from each other weren't likely to be spilled in an hour-long lunch with Brennan's ex-boyfriend.

Sully was already seated at the partners' usual table when they walked in, so they sat across from him, next to each other...something they always did when sharing "their" table with another person.

"So....", Sully began. "When did all this happen? Did Booth wait at least 20 minutes after I sailed away before swooping in and grabbing you up, Tempe?" He tried to question them without malice, since he knew he really had no claim to Brennan and no reason for any ire towards Booth, but he couldn't help the small, petulant tone that crept into his voice as he questioned the two across from him.

"Sully...", Brennan warned. "There's no need to be like that. While it's true that Booth was there on the docks when you sailed away, he only offered me friendship and comfort." She smiled softly up at Booth. "And breakfast."

While Booth grinned back at Brennan, the hard tone of his voice was only for the man sitting across from them. "Do you honestly believe that Bones is the type of woman who would just jump from one relationship to another in the blink of an eye? And I know that I am not the kind of man who would take advantage of a woman who was hurt and vulnerable like that. And believe me; Bones was hurt when you left. Very much."

Sully blinked at Booth's words, realizing how bad what he said had sounded. "Tempe, I apologize. I didn't mean..."

"It's okay, Sully. I know what you meant. And for your information, Booth didn't "swoop" in, as you describe it. It took us a very long time to find each other and admit how we felt." Brennan explained. "We've only been together about nine months now."

"The best nine months of my life." she finished softly.

It was Booth's turn to blink. _'Did she just say what I think she did? And did she really mean that?' _His confusion was amplified by Brennan's hand brushing his jaw tenderly and smiling at him.

The question was pushed from Booth's mind for the time being as the waitress came and took their orders.

After a nice, relaxing meal during which Sully regaled the partners with breathtaking descriptions of his travels, they all stood to leave. Sully stepped forward to kiss Brennan on the cheek while simultaneously shaking Booth's hand.

"I'm really happy for the two of you, I Am." he said, trying to keep how he truly felt out of his tone. "I hope you're both really, really happy together. I'll talk to you soon, Tempe. Booth." He nodded, walking out of the diner alone.

"Wow. I almost feel bad about that." Booth sighed. "He looked kind of crushed."

Brennan felt something herself, but she couldn't exactly describe it as pity for Sully. Leaving the warmth of the diner with Booth and heading into the biting cold that typified DC weather in December, she found that she only felt disappointed. And not because she had effectively chased Sully off with their ruse. She really didn't have any feelings for her former boyfriend beyond a distant kind of friendship.

She was disappointed because wished with all her heart that they had been telling Sully the truth.

While Brennan contemplated this monumental shift in her reality, a figure watched from across the street as Booth helped her into the SUV and walked around to the driver's side._ 'There is something off about this picture; I'm just not sure what it is...'_ Sully thought to himself as he stared after the retreating vehicle.

_'Guess it's time to bring the FBI investigative skills back out of mothballs.' he decided._


	3. Revelations

Chapter 3: Revelations

After Booth had dropped Brennan off back at the Jeffersonian, he headed to the Hoover Building to finish some paperwork from a case he had closed last week without the help of the Squints.

While he sat behind his desk, pen in hand, he contemplated what Bones had said earlier at the diner in her speech to Sully.

"The best nine months of my life."

It wasn't what she said, it was the way she said it that intrigued Booth. If he were a gambling man (and we can safely say that he is), he would have bet everything that he owned that Brennan had sounded almost....wistful. It sounded for all the world as if she were truly speaking from her heart. God knew that Booth would never turn down a opportunity to move things along to a more personal level with his Bones, but until this afternoon he would have sworn that she wasn't ready for anything more than what their current relationship appeared to be.

Now, he wasn't so sure. And he didn't know if that feeling of doubt made him the happiest man on Earth, or completely terrified the snot out of him. At this point, those horses were running neck and neck.

Booth sighed aloud and went back to his paperwork. Since they had apparently dealt with Sully for the time being, he didn't want to stress himself out anymore than he already was by dwelling on the situation right now. He had time.

~*~

While Booth sat at his desk thinking about Brennan, the object of his affection was sitting on her couch in her office thinking about him.

Even though it was a ruse to get Sully to back off, Brennan had to admit that the idea of being with Booth appealed to her immensely. She had always (despite her ardent protests early in their partnership to the contrary) found Booth physically pleasing to look at - any woman with half a hormone would. But it was his personality that truly made him attractive to Brennan.

Booth was honest, intelligent, honorable, dedicated, hard-working and kind. Add to that his goofy sense of humor and his wonderful abilities as both a father and a friend, and he was damn near perfect. She had often wondered why he was still single. Booth was almost as much of a workaholic as Brennan, yet she had seen more than her share of women who practically threw themselves at him day and night.

Well, she _had _wondered, anyway.....until that night on the street when he had confessed his love for her. Admittedly, she had been shocked at his words (more for the fact that he actually spoke them aloud and to her, rather than the words themselves) and she was not quick enough to get the gob smacked look off of her face before he saw it and panicked. When he added that ridiculous "in a professional, atta-girl kind of way" qualifier she had wanted to cry. Until she realized that as he backtracked, the look on his face was equal parts pain, regret and apology. And that realization had hit her like a lightning bolt...he meant what he had said before all that gibberish. He loved her.

Ever since that night, Brennan had been trying to come to a decision about how to proceed. Should she confront Booth about his feelings towards her? Keep pretending that she had believed his backpedaling and let things go on as usual? (Going out with Andrew had been part of that experiment, and we all know how _that_ turned out...) Or start dropping subtle hints to let him know that she loved him and wanted to be with him?

Wait.

She _loved_ him?!? Where had that come from?

Oh my.

Time for a new strategy.


	4. Squeeze

Chapter Four: Squeeze

After Booth had finally finished his paperwork, he gathered up his belongings and locked his office, intending on a quick trip to see if he could talk Bones out of limbo and into dinner. Unfortunately, he was waylaid by his boss, Andrew Hacker, who looked as though he was leaving for the day as well.

"Late night, Agent Booth?" Hacker asked. "Got any plans for the evening?"

"Yes sir. Just heading over to the Jeffersonian to get Bones for dinner - if I can talk her into abandoning her hundred year-old bones for the night." Booth chuckled.

Booth had been worried that his working relationship with Hacker would suffer when Brennan had explained to Andrew how she was uncomfortable dating him since he was Booth's boss, but everything had seemed to return to normal shortly afterwards. For his part, while disappointed, Andrew understood Brennan's view. Life was too short to dwell on a woman he had only dated for 20 minutes.

And the truth of it was, he genuinely liked Booth and found him to be not only an excellent agent but a good man as well. He also had a tiny suspicion that there really was more to Booth and Brennan's relationship than that "just partners" crap they kept trying to pass off as gospel. He suspected that they were in deep, deep denial about it. However, since it didn't seem to hinder their work, he didn't push the issue.

"Well, good luck with that, Booth. You have your work cut out for you, trying to get Dr. Brennan out of her lab before 8 PM." Hacker smiled back.

Booth nodded in silent agreement, wished his boss goodnight, and headed for the elevators. He was starving, and all he could think about was a cheeseburger and some quality time with Bones. However, his boss's voice stopped him before he could push the button.

"Oh, Booth! I almost forgot. You wouldn't happen to remember an ex-agent by the name of Timothy Sullivan, would you?"

Booth froze in place. Suddenly, his growling stomach was the absolute last thing on his mind.

~*~

Brennan stood over the bones of what had proven to be a 20-25 year old woman who had died in the late 19th century. Probably in childbirth. She welcomed the distraction; it helped to take her mind off the mild panic that had set in since she realized that she was in love with Booth.

She. Was. In. Love. With. Booth.

To be perfectly honest, describing how she was feeling as "mild panic" was oversimplifying it. She had already been trying to deal with the feeling of loss that pretending to date Booth had brought on, and to pile her general terror of relationships, her newly acknowledged love for Booth and her abandonment issues on top of that was almost causing her incredibly gifted brain to short circuit. However, there was also an undercurrent running through all those other emotions...something more, something less tangible - something good. It seemed to be trying to swim it's way through all her negativity and worry, almost as if it were battling them all on it's own. She also thought that it has been a bad idea to watch Braveheart again for the 20th time last night...her internal angst was turning into an epic battle, complete with broadswords, shields, knights in shining (standard FBI issued body) armor, damsels in distress and bow and arrows.

Whatever this good thing was that was trying to convince her to talk to Booth about how she was really feeling, it was still waging it's war...and the outcome was uncertain. The good news was that, two years ago, she would have been halfway to Peru by now, in a blind panic about these emotions she couldn't seem to quantify. Then, she had still been closed off to the idea of relationships being anything more than transient experiences...he11, even two _months_ ago she would have flipped her lid at her realizations. Now, she was just trying to work it all out without running.

Why she had never tried this before, she didn't know.

Suddenly, she heard the unmistakable sound of her partner's footsteps coming down the hallway, accompanied by his voice rattling the walls.

"Bones! Bones, where the hell are you?!?!" Booth hollered, looking into the room and stopping with a jerk. "Oh. There you are."

"Yes, Booth. I've been here all night, just as I told you I would be." Brennan admonished lightly. "What on Earth is the problem? Are you starving to death again?"

Booth rolled his eyes and took a little bit of comfort in the well-practiced banter they had honed well over the years. "Well...yes, I am hungry. But that's not the problem, Bones. This is a doozy. Director Hacker stopped me on my way out tonight"

"Oh, no! I thought he understood my reasons for not dating him..."

"No, Bones! That's not why he stopped me.' Booth took a deep breath and stepped closer to Brennan, hands in his pockets and a wry smile on his face. "You're not going to believe who called him to ask for his old job back at the Bureau."

"Oh...my God! Please don't tell me that Sully is staying! Booth, I mean it...do not tell me that!"

"Honestly, I wish that I could do that, Bones. More than anything."

Brennan sighed and rolled her head around on her shoulders, trying to work out the stiffness in her neck that had suddenly become unbearable. "This is all my fault. I never should have lied to Sully in the first place. But no...I had to be a goose and avoid telling him the truth. Lies never end with the first one, they just compound. I should know that by now."

"It's chicken, Bones...not goose. But you're right. Lies never work out well. But you panicked, and acted irrationally. While I admit that is not your usual MO, it's understandable. Sully can be a real fly in the ointment when he wants to be."

"Well, at the risk of making both of us look like idiots, I am going to have to admit to Sully that I misled him and come clean. Hopefully he will take the hint and leave me alone." Brennan wasn't looking forward to that discussion one bit. Once Sully knew that she wasn't dating anyone, he was going to come after her with both barrels. It was not a scenario she was in any way looking forward to.

"Well, Bones...on the way here I thought about this, and I think I figured out a way for you to avoid that admission to Sully altogether. But you have to keep an open mind and heart about it. And trust me."

Brennan looked to Booth, face filled with hope. "Booth. Of course I trust you. And I think that at this point I would grab any other alternative than telling the truth."

Booth walked closer to Brennan, until they were almost touching, eyes boring into hers. "Well, then...I think that the only way out of this is to make the lie the truth. We should actually start dating. For real."


	5. Ascension

Chapter Five: Ascension

Brennan stared in shock as she processed the words that had just come out of Booth's mouth.

_"We should actually start dating. For real."_

Wow. Talk about being on the same wavelength.

"I...um, Booth...what exactly do you mean, specifically? Dating?"

"Yes, Bones. Dating. I ask you to dinner, you agree to said offer, we get dressed up all fancy-like and partake in a third-party prepared meal at a mutually-agreed-upon location, preferably with candlelight, long, meaningful looks and dancing. Dating. All the cool kids are doing it." Booth's eyes twinkled at the slack-jawed expression on Brennan's face.

When Booth had come up with this idea on the way over to the Jeffersonian earlier, he had a two-fold reason behind it. He knew that Bones would want to avoid coming clean with Sully, but would feel like she needed to in order to prevent any further embarrassment. He also knew that he couldn't endure any more dancing around the topic of his feelings for her. Asking her to date him seemed like the only way to get what they both wanted. She could avoid a potentially awkward situation and he could finally woo Bones the way she deserved. He would be able to show her the depth of his feelings for her, and in a subtle, yet definitive way that even she could pick up on. And if he did this right, she wouldn't feel overwhelmed and try to bolt. Hopefully.

"Okay." Brennan had to bite the inside of her cheek to keep from grinning. Internally, she felt the last of her warring, scared defenses fall to the unrepentant assault of her love for this man in front of her. It was time to put her heart into overdrive, and now nothing was going to stop her from getting what she wanted. What they both wanted.

Booth swallowed thickly. "Okay? Really?"

"Yes, Booth. It only makes sense. And it's not like we would have to spend much more time together than we already do. What does Angela say? We're 'attached at the thigh'?" Brennan knew the phrase; she just found it charming when Booth corrected her.

"At the hip, Bones. Hip. And you're right; we wouldn't have to change too much. But, there would have to be a little more physical contact....like, um...kissing and such." Booth was caught between shock that she actually agreed to the plan so quickly, and a sudden wariness to push too much too fast.

"I concur." Brennan sighed, trying not to sound too excited at the prospect of kissing Booth again. "Couples who date do tend to be more tactile than we are used to. I think we can both adjust, we're very good friends who trust each other."

"True. If we have anything, Bones, it's mutual trust. I think we are more than capable of handling this. We can handle anything....together. Right?" Booth threw her the Charm Smile as backup.

_'Oh God. There's that damned smile,'_ Brennan thought. _'How am I going to resist that for any length of time? And do I really want to?'_

"I agree. We can handle it. But I do think that we should probably practice, because we don't want to be nervous in front of anyone who matters. Correct?" Brennan kept the hopeful expression off her face quite successfully, bringing a guileless look to her eyes as she gazed up at Booth.

"Hmm." Booth tried not to panic as he eased himself even closer to Brennan, closing the small gap between their bodies. "I would have to say that I agree with that, no question. Practice is a good idea, Bones."

Brennan unconsciously leaned into Booth as he pressed his body to hers, reaching out to place her hand on the back of his neck as Booth cupped the side of her face. They let their heads close the remaining gap between them, neither realizing that they were both holding their breath in anticipation.

The first touch was so soft; Brennan almost thought she had imagined it. Like a feather gently brushing the skin, Booth let his lips slide across hers, searching for purchase against her slightly open mouth. Once the initial contact was made, however, thoughts of gentle finesse flew out the window. Their lips crashed together as if they had found a source of water and they were both dying of thirst, teasing nips turning quickly into wet, open-mouthed explorations of the other. Finally, when the need for air overrode the need for each other, they broke apart, standing a few feet apart, both gasping for breath while holding the other's gaze intently.

"Wow.", they both breathed.


	6. Musings of a Cigarette Smoking Man

Chapter Six: Musings of a Cigarette Smoking Man

Once they had recovered from that first smoking hot kiss in the bone room, Brennan rushed to put away the bones she had been studying before Booth interrupted her. With less awkwardness than either of them expected, they headed back to Brennan's office to collect her things and head for Founding Fathers for a late dinner. Surprising both herself and Booth, Brennan let him open the door to the SUV for her without a single protest.

"Don't look so shocked, Booth." Brennan grinned. "I am only indulging your alpha-male tendencies because we are supposed to be dating...in a relationship. I assumed that would make it more believable. Otherwise, I would have kneecapped you by now."

Booth laughed at the way Brennan primly crossed her legs as she issued the threat of violence. "It's hard to take you seriously, Bones, when you look so damned cute."

"Cute?!? Cute? Dogs and kittens are cute. Babies are cute....grown women are..."

"Sexy? Gorgeous? Absolutely, breathtakingly beautiful?" Booth finished, eyebrows raised, patented "Only For Bones" smile firmly in place.

"Yes....that." Brennan breathed. _'Good Lord, he is charming. No wonder women are always throwing themselves at him.'_ she mused, having a hard time restraining herself from jumping across the seats and throwing herself at him.

"I know that, Bones. Cute, gorgeous, beautiful...you're all that and you know it. Nothing wrong with that. I appreciate and admire 'cute'. It's a compliment, take it and enjoy it." Booth insisted, pointing his finger for emphasis.

Brennan sighed and pulled on her seatbelt as they pulled out of the parking garage. "Alright...for now. But don't get used to me allowing such puerile descriptions. We'll establish some parameters at dinner, and then we won't have to worry about anymore misunderstandings or hurt feelings. Deal?"

"Deal, Bones. You're adorable when you're miffed at me."

"Booth!"

*~*

Once they were seated at a table and had ordered their drinks and food, neither seemed to be able to start the inevitable conversation they both knew was coming. Finally, Booth couldn't stand the silence anymore.

"Bones, you said something about establishing "parameters" for this relationship. What, exactly, did you have in mind?"

"Honestly, I hadn't given it too much thought, Booth. I assumed we could just discuss what we're both comfortable with, what we're not comfortable with, and go from there. We're adults with extensive sexual histories; we've done this with other people before, right?" Brennan answered, grateful to Booth for getting the ball rolling.

"This..", Booth waved his hand between them, "is not something I've done before. Not with you, anyway." He sighed, trying to find the words to describe what he meant without giving too much away too soon. "It's you and me. Us. It's bound to be special - different, I mean. I don't think we can follow our usual blueprint with this."

"You're right, I suppose. While I believe that we know each other better than anyone, this type of...intimacy is beyond what either of us has experienced with the other and there is going to be some adjustments that need to be made. But, what kind? And can we really pretend that we...um, care for each other like that without anyone suspecting?" Brennan mentally crossed her fingers, willing Booth to say the right thing to ease the thumping of her heart in her chest.

"Bones. Hey..." Booth reached across the table and hooked a finger under her chin, forcing her to look him in the eye. "Do you honestly believe that we are going to have to pretend to care for each other? I mean, I know you know that you're my best friend, right? How much more do we really have to show anyone else?"

Brennan wasn't the least bit surprised that Booth had said exactly the right thing. He always seemed to know just what to say to ease her mind and heart. "No. I know I won't have to pretend to care for you, Booth." she smiled.

_'I've been pretending far too long as it is.'_ Brennan thought.

Booth took the initiative and reached for her hand, which was resting on the table. He caressed her knuckles softly with his thumb, looking at Brennan intently, brown eyes darkening to a shade she remembered seeing before....earlier that evening, after the kiss in limbo. She felt the flush creeping down her neck, warming her from head to toe as she looked right back into his eyes, unwilling or unable to break their magnetic pull.

Outside the bar, a man watched the couple intently as he took a pull on his cigarette, blowing the smoke up to avoid the patrons coming in and out of the doors. While he had never seen them hold hands so blatantly and in public, he wasn't a bit surprised. For years he had suspected that they were head over heels for each other and truth be told, he had been rooting for them to finally get it together and get together. Since he had retired from the Bureau, he had kept in contact with a few of the other agents, so he knew all about the roadblocks Booth and Brennan had navigated to get to where they were now. Seeing them, so comfortable together, so obviously in love, made his usually stoic heart melt just a little bit. Suddenly, the doors to the bar opened again and the man who was exiting accidentally bumped him, causing him to drop his smoke on the ground.

"Oh, I'm sorr- Director Cullen?" the man said, eyes wide with recognition.

"Its fine, Agent Zhang. How are you?"

"Good, sir. Good. What brings you back to DC?" the agent asked, obviously shocked to see his former boss.

"Just visiting some family, Zhang. It was good to see you. Have a good night." Cullen replied dismissively, not willing to elaborate.

"You too, sir. Good to see you." Zhang answered, starting to walk away. He noticed that Cullen was again looking in the large window, staring at something. He followed the path of his eyes, finally seeing what held him in such thrall.

Agent Booth and his partner, Dr. Brennan, were holding hands and gazing at each other over the table they shared, oblivious to anything and anyone but each other. Zhang had always wondered if they were secretly dating, but when Dr. Brennan had started dating Director Hacker he figured it was just his imagination. Now, he knew for sure that Hacker didn't have a chance. If a woman looked at him the way Dr. Brennan was currently looking at Agent Booth, he would hang up his bachelorhood in a heartbeat. The lady was obviously and completely head over heels, and it looked like Booth felt the exact same way.

"Good for them. No one deserves some happiness more than they do." Zhang said quietly as he walked away, unaware of Cullen's broad smile that followed him.

"I agree, kid. I agree."


	7. Signs and Wonders

Chapter Seven: Signs and Wonders

When Booth pulled into Brennan's parking garage later that evening, he had already intended to walk her to her door for safety. Between the two of them, they had been kidnapped at least 4 times, and Booth didn't ever feel completely comfortable letting Brennan walk alone at night when he could be there to protect her. However, when he took a surreptitious look around while heading towards her parking space, he spotted a very familiar, floppy-hair-bearing head sitting in a sedan close to the elevator. Unbelievable.

"Bones. Believe it or not, Sully is staking us out. Blue sedan by the elevators. Don't stare."

Brennan looked in the side mirror of the SUV and easily spotted their prey. "Oh, for goodness sake! I knew this was going to happen. Nothing we ever do is easy, is it?"

Booth, thinking that was probably the understatement of the century, laughed heartily. "You are not kidding, Bones. Easy is something we just can't do."

"So, what do we do? Just walk up to the apartment and hope he doesn't follow?"

"That was pretty much my plan, Bones. Just let me work my alpha-male charm again and wait until I open your door for you, alright?" Booth replied, getting out of the car.

Brennan watched Booth walk in front of the SUV, mentally preparing herself for the plan that had suddenly popped into her head when she saw that Sully was stalking them. _'I hope that Booth can play along.'_ she thought to herself. _'This might knock those striped socks right off his feet.'_

When Booth opened the door, Brennan launched herself into his arms, wrapped her arms around his neck, her legs around his waist, and planted a huge kiss on his lips. Booth staggered backwards from the unexpected but certainly not unwelcome assault. His back hit the car behind him with a loud THUMP, and his hands immediately went to Brennan's rear to hold her in place. Before he knew what either of them was doing, he was kissing her back with a passion that he had never felt for any other woman. He felt as if he could do this forever, holding her in his arms, kissing her with abandon, listening to the mewling sounds coming from her throat...he was finally right where he'd always wanted to be.

For her part, Brennan crossed the threshold from playacting for Sully's benefit to losing herself in kissing Booth almost as soon as his hands splayed across her backside. _'Lord, this man can kiss...' _she mused happily, then let her mind go completely blank, filling her senses with nothing else but the feel of his hard body against hers, the smell of his aftershave and something uniquely Booth surrounding her, and the press of his lips and tongue on hers. She was well and truly lost in the sensation.

When they finally stopped to breathe, Booth pressed his forehead to hers and whispered, "Uh, Bones...where the he11 did that come from? Not that I'm complaining, mind you..."

Brennan swallowed, opening her eyes to look back at him. "I...I don't know. I thought that if we showed Sully that we were together, maybe he would get the point and leave. But...I...I just couldn't seem to stop! That was...unbelievable!"

Booth had to agree wholeheartedly. He grinned back at her, and with a laugh, said "Yeah, I think 'unbelievable' sort of covers it, Bones. But I think we've stood here long enough, we should probably take this show upstairs."

"I suppose we should." Brennan reluctantly released her hold on Booth and slid down his body, suddenly thrilled to notice that her reaction to the kiss was most certainly and most obviously shared by Booth. She did all she could to repress a girlish giggle at the thought of having that kind of effect on him.

"Do you need a minute, Booth? Or can you walk?" she said, looking up at him through her lashes.

"Seriously, Bones. Let's not go there right now. I'm busy picturing dead bodies and football games right now. I should be good to go."

Brennan gave up the fight and let herself laugh out loud at Booth's predicament. Luckily, he also saw the humor in the situation and laughed with her as he threw an arm around her and led her right past the car where Sully sat, gaping, and entered the open elevator.

As the doors closed, Brennan turned to him with a question. "Booth, do you normally spend the night after a sexual conquest or do you leave to go back to your own bed?"

"Uh, well...actually Bones, I don't do casual so I've never left in the middle of the night."

"Oh. Good to know." Brennan looked down to hide the grin on her face. "I suppose I can make up the guest room for you."

The elevator reached Brennan's floor, as Booth replied, "That'd be great, Bones. Thanks."

"It's the very least I can do. I mean, you are doing this to help me out, after all. And maybe I can think of some other way to repay you for this." she said as she opened the door and walked in. "Something much more elaborate."

Booth's mind immediately went to about one hundred different ways she could show her appreciation, but he kept his mouth in check. "It's okay, Bones. I'm glad to do it."

"No, Booth. I really want to show you how much what you're doing means to me. But first, there is something we really need to talk about." Brennan gestured to the couch, indicating that Booth sit, as she rooted around in her desk for a piece of paper and a pencil.

She took a deep breath and sat down across from Booth, mentally preparing herself for the hardest conversation she would ever have. While Booth watched her, she drew a long line down the middle of the paper, and then handed it to Booth.

"What is this, Bones? I don't get it."

"It's your stupid line, Booth. And I want you to erase it. Now."


	8. Three Words

Chapter Eight: Three Words

Booth stared at the piece of paper Brennan had just handed to him with a confused look on his face.

"What line are you talking about, Bones? I don't understand."

Brennan rocked back on her seat, complete shock etched across her features. "What do you mean, you don't understand?! You were the one who drew the line between us! When Epps escaped and went after Parker? Almost killed Cam? Don't you remember, you said that there was a line that we couldn't cross because it was too dangerous?"

Understanding dawned on Booth's face and he mentally slapped himself in the forehead. "Oh my God, Bones! Please don't tell me that you've been holding something back from me because of some stupid, metaphorical line I supposedly drew after an incredibly terrifying week? I can't believe that after three years and everything we've been through that you'd believe I still feel that way!"

Booth rubbed the back of his neck in utter disgust with himself. Was it possible that Bones had feelings for him and that something he himself did so long ago had been the reason for not acting on those feelings? His stomach churned with the realization that because of him, they might have wasted so much time.

"What?" Brennan gasped. "Y-you mean you don't really think the line makes sense anymore? How long have you felt this way?"

Booth leaned forward and grasped Brennan's hands in his, pressing the paper between them. "Bones...Temperance. To be perfectly honest, when I drew that line I meant every word I said. Seeing Cam in that bed, so close to dying...Parker a hairs breath away from that scum sucking pig Epps...knowing that he was right next door to your apartment with full access to you at anytime...I was freaked out. Everyone I truly cared about was in danger because of what I do for a living. It brought out the protector in me. And the only way I knew to keep everyone safe was to vocalize what I knew to be the truth at the time. Keeping our distance was the only thing I knew. But then, of course, I wasn't in love with you like I am now."

Brennan sighed. "Booth, I understand why you did it. I always did. I lived through the same week you did, and it only made sense. I respected your line, I really did. But then, after I finally dealt with my feelings and realized that I was in love with you, I began to hate that line. Despise it, really."

"I am sorry, Bones. I reacted without thinking, or maybe I was over thinking...I don't know."

Brennan nodded in understanding, wondering what the last few years would have been like if they had had this conversation sooner.

Suddenly, they both froze, realizing at the same time what the other had just admitted.

"You're in love with me?" they both said, simultaneously.

"What?"

"Really?"

Booth stared into Brennan's eyes, looking for some kind of sign that she was about to freak out. All he saw was acceptance, a little bit of shock, and...yep. There it is. Love. She loved him!

Brennan was enthralled by how dark Booth's eyes became. She could see the desire, surprise and adoration in their depths...he had such expressive eyes. And now they were telling her quite clearly that loved her. He honestly, truly did. Wow.

Later, neither was sure who moved first. But they came together in a passionate frenzy, lips and hands seeking, exploring, searching for that final confirmation that the feelings both had been sitting silent on for so long were indeed reciprocated. Brennan ran her hands up Booth's muscled back, reveling in her ability to finally get to touch him like she wanted without fear and without reservation. Booth buried his hands in her hair and drank in every inch of her that he could reach with his mouth, savoring her like he was in the middle of the desert and she was the first water he had tasted in days.

Brennan finally broke the kiss, reaching to the floor where the paper she had handed him earlier had fallen. Booth snatched it out of her hands, ripping it to peices and throwing it up into the air, not caring where it fell. They once again locked eyes, and Brennan took him by the hand and stood him up, leading him down the hallway to her bedroom.

Neither heard the lock on the front door rattling, or the intruder enter the apartment on soft footsteps.


	9. Rush

Chapter Nine: Rush

Once Brennan had led Booth into her bedroom, time seemed to stand still. They stared at each other, taking in the moment and what was about to happen with wide-eyed wonder. Almost five years of unparalleled patience, caring and fierce devotion…rolled up into this night, this moment. It was breathtaking and scary and wonderful all at the same time.

Finally, Booth broke their daze my slowly sliding his hand down Brennan's arm, stopping at her hand and bringing it to his mouth, kissing the palm lightly. Her eyes slid closed, shuttered by the idea that just the small touch of his lips on her hand sent electricity shooting through every nerve ending in her body. She took her hand from him and ran it along his jaw line, marveling at its smoothness and strength. They stepped closer together, steeping themselves in the other's presence, letting it wrap around them like a well-loved comforter.

Their lips touched, softly at first, but neither was satisfied anymore with gentle. Booth pulled her body flush with his, reveling in the dichotomy of soft against hard fitting together so perfectly. Brennan sighed into his mouth and began unbuttoning his dress shirt…slowly, at first, and then with more desperation as he trailed sucking kisses down her slender neck, drawing a mewling moan from her throat. Booth pulled her blouse out of the waistband of her slacks, not bothering with the buttons but simply pulling the garment over her head and out of his way.

He could not have found her simple, white lace bra more erotic. Or more of a hindrance. He instantly found the hook in back and popped it off with a quick move, grinning foolishly as he took in her gorgeous breasts, finally bared to him. They were even more beautiful than he had dreamt about. He softly brushed his thumb across one nipple, watching it peak before turning his attention to the other, making it stand at attention as well. Her head had fallen back, and she was lost in the intense sensations of fire shooting through her at his touch.

Her hands slid down his now bare chest, searching for the belt buckle that she normally loved, but now considered an obstacle to be overcome. She ran one finger over the gaudy rooster, mouthing the word on the buckle to herself, before unsnapping it, then making quick work of the button and zipper on his slacks as well. His pants fell around his ankles, and she slid one finger along the waistline of his simple black boxer briefs, teasing him as he was teasing her at the same time. He had managed to work her pants off as well, and they stood there, finally gazing at each other the way they had always dreamed.

"Bones…you're so damn beautiful. I…I can't catch my breath.." His intense gaze was almost too much to bear, and had every nerve in her body thrumming in time with her erratic pulse.

Brennan blew out a nervous breath. "You're beautiful as well, Booth. So well sculpted…" She couldn't restrain herself anymore, running her open palm from the hollow of his neck, down his gorgeous chest and along his stomach, finally cupping him on the outside of his boxers. He was certainly well-built in every way, she grinned to herself.

Finally, what little restraint Booth had left snapped. He gathered her to him and softly pushed her up to the bed until the backs of her knees hit the mattress, sending them both crashing down. He leaned on one side above her, tracing circles around her nipples with one hand while the other lazily slid along her soft thigh, finally reaching the place she was aching for him to be. He brushed one finger along her aching mound, teasing her and making her arch off the bed, begging for release. She was so close to orgasm from just a glancing touch, and she wanted so much more.

"Please, Booth…please. I want you so much!" she begged, pulling him flush against her so she could feel the hard length of his desire against her side.

He chuckled wickedly, sliding her panties from her body then removing his own underwear, a sexy grin gracing his features. "Whatever you say, Bones. You're the boss"

Booth rolled over her, staring down into her shining blue eyes, as he positioned himself at her entrance. "Do I need…?"

"No! I'm on the pill. Just, please…I need you inside me, now!"

Booth said a silent prayer of thanks as he finally slid into her, staying perfectly still as they both reveled in the intense feeling of completion of finally being joined the way they both had been craving. Slowly, he began to move, watching her beautiful face intently as she closed her eyes and savored every inch of him sliding in and out of her. She had never felt so comfortable, so fulfilled, so…cherished. The lines on his face seemed to smooth out and he looked almost boyish as he gazed down at her, both of them moaning together at the sensations shooting through them.

Booth reached under her knee and pulled her leg up, changing the angle of his entry. Brennan gasped at the feeling, crying out his given name and shuddering as the sudden orgasm ripped through her, seeming to start at her toes and bursting through her entire body.

"Seeley! Ohhhh…God, oh!" she cried, gripping his arms tightly and hanging on for dear life. "I love you!"

He rested his sweaty forehead against hers and waited for her to open her eyes, watching her eyelids flutter with the feelings still cresting in her body. When she finally opened her eyes, they were glazed over with passion and love, and he couldn't hold himself back any longer.

"I…I love you, Bones. So, so much!" he gasped, as he finally came, surging into her with a force filled with all he felt inside for her, whispering her given name into her ear, like a prayer.

"Temperance. Mmmm….Temperance." he sighed, placing kisses all along her neckline and nuzzling into her shoulder, content to stay this way for the rest of his life.

When she could finally speak, Brennan raised her eyes to Booth's and held them. "That was…everything I ever dreamed it would be. And more."

"I adore you. I love you. And I will never do this again with anyone but you. Ever." Booth whispered. "Does that scare you?"

Brennan smiled softly. "Not as much as you'd think."

~*~

When Booth could finally work his legs, he offered to head to the kitchen to get them some water.

"Bring back that bottle of wine I have opened, and a couple of glasses as well as the water." Brennan asked, pulling the sheet over herself as he put his boxers back on for the trip to the kitchen.

"Will do."

Booth opened the bedroom door and started down the hall, stopping short when he realized that someone was sitting on the couch in the living room. He stepped softy, wanting to get a good look at the intruder before he grabbed his gun from the bedroom. Suddenly, the mystery guest stood up and turned around, taking in Booth's state of undress and the love bites that were slowly materializing on his chest.

"Well, Booth…I guess you weren't lying. You obviously aren't gay."


	10. Max Part II

Chapter Ten: Max Part II

"Max!" Booth said, relieved. What in the hell are you doing here at midnight? And how did you get past the alarm code? Wait! Don't tell me…you disabled it, right?"

"No, Booth. I didn't. I simply watched Tempe when she entered it, and memorized it. Not that it took much memorizing; she used her mother's birthday." Max revealed with a small smile.

Brennan came out of the bedroom, wrapped in the sheet from the bed. "Booth? Are you out here talking to yourself? Where's the- Dad?!? What are you doing here?"

"Hi pumpkin! I just came over to say hi, and ask about the creepy guy hanging out in the parking garage, but was surprised to hear that you had company when I came in." Max winked at Booth, who blushed from his head to his toes.

"Creepy guy in the garage? Blue sedan, floppy hair?" Booth asked.

"That's him."

"Sully is still sitting out there, Bones. Man, that guy can not take a hint!"

Brennan dropped into the couch cushions beside her father, mindful of the edges of the sheet she was still wrapped in and making sure everything was covered. "What do we have to do, Booth? Have sex in front of him?"

"Um, no. Lets not go there. Honestly, I thought that after that little display you put on down there that he would get the idea and give it up." Booth sighed.

"So, who is this guy, anyway? Stalker?" Max asked, intrigued.

Brennan and Booth outlined her history with Sully, starting with Booth shooting the clown and having to leave Brennan to the devices of another agent, Sully's offer of a year on the water that she ultimately turned down, up to and including their lunch at the diner earlier in the day.

"I really thought he was going to leave everything go after that." Brennan said.

"Maybe I should just go down there and have a talk with him."

"Or I could go!" Max volunteered.

"NO!" Booth and Brennan said together. "That is a really bad idea." Booth added.

"Oh, c'mon, kids! I think it would be fun to throw the Wrath of Keenan at the guy!"

"Really, Dad. I appreciate the offer, but it's not necessary. I think, though, it would be a good idea for you to go down there and have a talk with him, Booth." Brennan compromised, looking hopefully at both men.

"Alright. I can do that, at least. Let me go get dressed."

Max resisted the urge to chuckle out loud. "I don't know, Booth. I think you might make your point more forcefully if you go down there looking like that."

Even Brennan had to laugh at the flush on Booth's face as he stalked back towards the bedroom.

"You're both punks, you know that? Right?" he huffed, slamming the door behind him.

After Booth's exit, Max turned to his daughter, full of questions. "So, baby…when did you and Booth…?"

"It's like we told you, Dad. Today. It started out as a ruse, but we both realized that the ruse was the real ruse. If that makes any sense." Brennan explained.

"Well, no matter how it started or when, it's about time. That boy has been head over heels for you since the day I laid eyes on him. Probably longer, if your brother's observations are to be believed." Max was undeniably happy for his little girl. Booth was a good man and his baby girl deserved the best. In his opinion, that definitely meant Special Agent Seeley Booth.

"Thanks for the support, Dad. And please…don't try to scare Booth." Brennan warned. "First of all, it would never work. And secondly, threatening a federal officer is never a good idea."

"Believe me, I know when to lay off, Tempe. Booth is good for you, and I know he would never intentionally hurt you. Hell, he almost died for you. That makes me feel safer than if I were watching over you myself."

"I can take care of myself, Dad!"

"I know that, baby. But there's nothing wrong with a little backup."

Just then, Booth came back out of the bedroom, redressed in his suit, complete with badge and gun.

"I thought that it would be a good idea to throw a little badge at him, see if I can't make my point that way. Obviously being straight with him isn't working." Booth explained.

"Just be careful, Booth." Brennan stood up and straightened Booth's lapel. "And hurry back." She added with a smirk.

"Oh, don't worry…this won't take long at all. Max, can you stick around until I get back? Just for my peace of mind, Bones. Not because I don't think you can take care of yourself! Alright?" Booth pleaded.

"I'll be here, Booth."

"Okay, Booth. I will let Dad stay-under protest, but just this once." Brennan allowed.

"Thanks, Bones. I love you, you know." He gave her a quick kiss and went out the door.

Brennan sat back and gave her father a sideways glance. "So, Dad…what are you _really_ doing here?


	11. Darkness Falls

Chapter Eleven: Darkness Falls

Booth stood in the elevator of Brennan's apartment building, idly watching the lights flicker down as he descended to the parking garage to confront Sully. While a part of him readied himself for the discussion ahead, another part of him wandered back to where he had been just half an hour ago…upstairs, in her bedroom, finally making love with _his_ Bones. The images flashed through his mind like a home movie, making him smile like a goofy teenager after his first real kiss. Brennan's small hands tracing the outlines of his chest, running through his hair, her gasped breaths of his name…it was all going into the secret "Bones File" he stored in his head for situations like this one, along with the time he had described to her the difference between crappy sex and making love and she had actually agreed with him, the long look she had given him when he told her that there was someone out there for her, the desperate hug she had held him in after he had jumped into the Navy helo and out of the clutches of the Gravedigger…all of it memories he wanted to savor over and over again.

He was jerked out of his reverie by the dinging of the elevator, and the whoosh of the doors opening. Booth could still see Sully's car sitting not 10 feet from the elevator, the outline of his head perfectly visible in the car's overhead light. As he walked towards the sedan, drifting towards the front bumper, Booth noticed something was most definitely off. The overhead light. Why was Sully letting himself sit there so exposed? As an FBI agent, he should know better surveillance techniques. If he were prone to that sort of thing, Booth would have scratched his head in confusion. But as he stepped directly in front of the car, he understood why Sully no longer felt the need for secrecy.

Sticking grotesquely out of Sully's right eye was a slim, copper pipe.

Booth took a second to swallow the bile that had risen in his throat. He walked to the drivers side door, and using his handkerchief gingerly pushed the door, already ajar, the rest of the way open. While it was obvious by the lack of movement and the amount of blood pooling on his chest that Sully was most definitely dead, Booth felt compelled to place two fingers against his neck to check for a pulse. Nothing. Booth sighed and pulled his phone out of his pocket.

"Dispatch, this is Special Agent Booth. I am currently in the parking garage of Dr. Temperance Brennan's apartment building,' he began to explain, rattling off the address, "I need a forensics team and a coroner on the main parking structure near the elevators. We have a dead FBI agent sitting in a car here."

Booth's next call was harder, and against everything he was trained for as an agent.

"Bones, it's me. Tell your dad to get the hell out of the apartment and go find somewhere to hide. Now."

Brennan was flabbergasted. "Booth? What is going on? What happened with Sully?"

"Bones.' Booth had to stop and take a deep breath. "Temperance. I'm sorry, but Sully is dead."

"Dear God!" Brennan gasped. "How? Who…what happened, Booth?" She dropped down on the bed in complete shock.

"He's…he is sitting in his car with a copper pipe sticking out of his eye. That's why you need to get Max out of there ASAP." Booth explained, trying to impart his own sense of urgency and suspicion without hurting Bones anymore than he had to.

"He's already gone, Booth. He said he did what he came here to do and just left. I asked him, but he wouldn't tell me anything." Brennan didn't articulate the thought, but she knew Booth was thinking the same thing she was.

"Dammit." Booth said, resting his forehead on a nearby pillar. He had really hoped that the old bastard hadn't reverted back to his old tricks, but things were looking grim for the hopes of an innocent explanation to all of this.

Brennan listened to Booth's breath over the line for a moment, trying to grasp the myriad of emotions that were assaulting her at the moment. First, for Sully. While she no longer had romantic feelings for him, she did still feel an offhand affection for him, and his death saddened her. But, to her embarrassment, the overriding emotion she was feeling was deep, deep gratitude. Not grateful that Sully was gone, of course, but that Booth had just risked his career and his possible freedom to warn her father, a probable murderer once again, to get away from the area.

If she didn't already love him more than anything in this world, that certainly would have pushed her over the edge.


	12. This Is Not Happening

Chapter Twelve: This Is Not Happening

Booth stood off to the side of the crime scene where the techs were processing the scene of the murder of former FBI Special Agent Tim Sullivan. He ran the words through his head over and over, not really able to grasp the reality of them. _Sully is dead. Max is the prime suspect. He probably did this to protect Bones again..and ran. Again. _A frustrated sigh escaped Booth's lungs as he watched Brennan speaking with Deputy Director Hacker, who had shown up at the scene as soon as he had found out that Bones was involved, and that Sully was the victim. Booth had to admit, Hacker had taken the news of the change in his and Bones' relationship with good humor. He didn't know what he has expected, but having Hacker clap him on the back and smile at him was not on his mental list of the Top 100 of the Deputy Director's possible reactions to the situation. Frankly, he was shocked. Brennan, however, had seemed to expect the reaction and immediately moved on to finishing her statement about the situation with Sully. Booth should have known. Very little surprised Bones, even as she continued to pull the rug out from under him on a daily basis.

He found himself thinking back to the look on her face when she had explained that she wanted Booth to erase his "stupid line". Equal parts expectation, irritation and adoration…three emotions he never expected to see all at once on the beautiful visage of Dr. Temperance Brennan. At least, not directed at him, anyway. He let a small smile cross his face, still hardly believing that not only had he finally confessed how he felt about Bones to her face (and Sweets' brain scans be damned, he knew what he felt was real) and that she had not only reciprocated the feelings, but had encouraged them. He was still a little vague on where their relationship was going, but he knew that he was in it for the long haul, and was sure that Brennan felt the same way. She had said she was considering the advantages of a monogamous relationship less than a year ago. He hoped that she had reached the same conclusion he had…that he couldn't live without her and he didn't want to share her. Ever.

Booth was pulled out of his musings by Agent Zhang, who was the agent in charge of the investigation.

"Booth. I thought you should know before it goes out all over the news. Capitol Police just picked up Max Keenan at his home. They took him to the Hoover for us to question. I'm heading over there now, if you'd like to watch from observation."

"Yeah, thanks Zhang. I appreciate it. I also assume that Dr. Brennan will not be welcome at the interrogation?" Booth already knew the answer to that one long before he asked.

"I'm sorry, man. I like Dr. Brennan, and any other time I wouldn't have a problem, but this is her father…and he does have sort of a history with FBI agents who threaten his family…" Zhang finished awkwardly.

"No, I get it. Really. And she will understand, I'm just not looking forward to telling her." Booth let his gaze wander back to Brennan, who was finished with her conversation with Hacker and was now watching him intently. "Thanks again, man. I'll see you back at the Hoover."

Booth walked to Brennan and took her arm, leading her away from the gaggle of techs and agents who made no effort whatsoever to pretend they weren't watching the partners' interaction.

"Bones, how are you holding up?"

Brennan closed her eyes for a moment, cataloguing and dissecting her emotions as if they were a set of bones on her exam table. "I'm tired and heart sore. I feel horrible for Sully and I'm worried sick about my dad. I want to believe that this is nothing more than a sick joke, but every fiber of my being is screaming out that my dad hasn't changed, that he's done it again, and this time there is nothing I can do to save him.

"And I'm not entirely sure that I want to, either." Brennan added, softly.

"Aw, Bones," Booth said, ignoring the gaping stares of the people around them and taking Brennan into his arms, rubbing slow circles on her back. "I wish there were something I could do to make this all go away. And I wish that I didn't have to be the one to tell you…DC police picked up your dad at his place. He's waiting back at the Hoover for Zhang to question him."

"He didn't take off?" Brennan gasped. "He _stayed_?!? Has he lost his mind?"

"I wish I knew, Bones. But I will let you know how the interrogation goes. Zhang was nice enough to offer to let me monitor from the observation room. And Bones, before you even ask, you cannot be there. You know that." Booth used a soft tone, but one that brooked no argument and Brennan knew there was no point in getting into it with him.

"I do know, Booth. I do. And I won't make this evening any harder on you than it already has been." Brennan agreed, resignedly. "You've been wonderful and I don't know what I would have done without you."

"Thanks, Bones." Booth couldn't help himself, even with the audience, and he kissed her lightly on the lips. "You know I love you, don't you?"

"I love you more." Brennan replied, laying her head on his shoulder and drawing strength from his embrace. "Could you walk me upstairs before you head off? I should probably call Angela and let her know about everything before she hears the news in the morning."

"Sure, Bones. Anything for you."


	13. Die Hand Die Verletzt

Chapter Thirteen: Die Hand Die Verletzt

Max Keenan sat quietly in the FBI interrogation room, not knowing exactly why he was there, but after years of being on the run from the law, he knew a really bad situation when he was smack in the middle of it. The cops who had picked him up informed him that he was wanted for questioning in the death of Tim Sullivan, but beyond that tidbit he was clueless.

Suddenly, the door to the room flew open and an agent walked in, sitting directly across from Max.

"Mr. Keenan, I am Special Agent Dustin Zhang. I just need to ask you a few questions, if that's okay?" he began, giving Max a small apologetic smile.

'_Hmmm….must be a friend of Booth's.'_ Max thought to himself. _'Or, he's playing "good cop" until the "bad cop" shows up later'_

"Mr. Keenan, do you know a Timothy Sullivan?" Zhang began without waiting for an answer.

"Not personally, no."

"But by reputation?" Zhang knew getting anything out of the old thief was going to be hard, and his suspicions were confirmed by Max's almost monosyllabic answers.

"Yes."

"And how did you come to know of Mr. Sullivan?"

"My daughter."

"She told you about him?"

"Yes."

"And your daughter would be Dr. Temperance Brennan?"

"Of course." A fleeting smile crossed Max's lips before he could stop it.

Zhang sighed inwardly. This was simply going to be a pain in the ass. Keenan wasn't going to tell him anything.

"I'll be right back, Mr. Keenan. Can I get you anything?"

"Coffee would be okay. But not the stuff from the pantry here. Booth says it's total shit."

Zhang smothered the grin that threatened to quirk his lips. "I'll see what I can do."

Booth didn't bother to hide his grin when Zhang came into the observation room after sending a junior agent to the Starbuck's downstairs. "He's a crafty bastard, isn't he?"

"I knew this would be a waste of time." Zhang sighed. "But as much as I respect Dr. Brennan, it has to be done."

"And we both appreciate it, Bones and I." Booth replied. "Really, Dustin. Thanks."

Zhang nodded. "Listen, Booth…what kind of feel are you getting for him? You know him pretty well, do you think he did this?"

'_And that was the $64,000 question.'_, Booth thought to himself. "Honestly, and I've been thinking about almost nothing else since I found Sully in that car, I don't believe Max did this.' Booth paused to collect his thoughts. "For one, he would never have left his calling card like that, not now. Too obvious for a victim who really posed no threat. There was no reason for him to warn anyone off with his signature. Secondly, I believe Max when he says that he didn't know Sully and his history with Bones before tonight. We had to tell him about it when he showed up and he was genuinely surprised. Finally, I've seen for myself how Max has been trying to clean himself up and become an honest member of society. The way he's been making an effort to reconnect with Bones and earn back her trust….I just can't see him doing something like this with no direct threat to her or Russ as his inspiration. Max Keenan may be a lot of things, but recklessly impulsive is not one of them."

Zhang couldn't decide whether he was happy that Booth agreed with his first impression of Keenan's innocence, or irritated that it was looking like a setup with no immediate or obvious suspect in the offing. He opted for a combination of the two. "Yeah. I get the feeling that Keenan really didn't have anything to do with this. What really pisses me off is that whoever did thinks we're really that stupid, and is playing with us."

"Tell me about it." Booth said. "Aside from the fact that I don't like being played, this is causing Bones pain…and that is something I will not tolerate."

Zhang was glad, and not for the first time, that he was not the person on the receiving end of that hardened, steely look on Booth's face. He'd seen it before, and it never failed to bring a cold chill. He knew that was the look Booth had probably worn as a sniper, and it was damn effective. "Look, Booth…I am not going to get anything useful out of Max, because there probably isn't anything useful to get. But I am willing to let you talk to him…off the record, of course. No cameras, no mics. See if maybe he has a feel for who might be trying to get to him…or Dr. Brennan?"

A knock sounded on the door, and an agent came in with Max's coffee. Booth took it from him and headed out. "Thanks again, Dustin. This is really above and beyond…"

"Booth, listen. I've watched you give everything you have to this job. You've been shot I don't know how many times, you've saved countless lives in the pursuit of justice, you've sacrificed your personal life and God knows what else to make sure that innocents are safe and protected. The least I can do to repay all of that is give you a few minutes to chat up your felonious future father-in-law." Zhang paused, grinning. "Or was that too melodramatic?"

Booth laughed loudly and clapped Zhang on the shoulder. "You are a piece of work, Dustin. Thanks." Booth was still laughing to himself when he closed the door behind him, headed to the interrogation room. He stopped when he saw who was standing in the hallway, leaning against the wall.

"Angela? What are you doing here?" He was genuinely shocked. "Is Bones okay?"

"Well, good morning yourself, Tall, Dark and Federal. Yes, your beloved is just fine. Well, as fine as she can be with her ex-boyfriend lying murdered in the morgue, her father in custody for said murder and her hunky lover getting ready to interrogate him." Angela tried, rather unsuccessfully, to wipe the saucy grin off her face.

Booth sighed. He should have known that when Bones called Angela to let her know what was going on that she would tell her absolutely _everything_. Discretion may be the better part of valor, but it wasn't the better part of Dr. Temperance Brennan.

"Well, you answered one of my questions. And as to the other…?"

"Sorry, Booth. I just couldn't help myself." Angela was in heaven, especially after seeing Booth cringe when she mentioned the word "lover". He was just too easy sometimes. "Anyway, I brought these for Max per his daughter's instructions." She handed Booth a paper bag.

"Snickerdoodles?" he asked, not even bothering to look in the bag.

"Good guess. How'd you know?"

"It's a message from Bones to her dad. Letting him know that she's supporting him." Booth couldn't avoid the smile that hit his face. "I'm glad, I was worried that she would close off to him again."

"Well, she's a lot more open to the people she loves nowadays." Angela nodded. "And I think we all know who is responsible for that little breakthrough." She winked at Booth and started to turn to leave. "Oh, and I am really happy for both of you, Booth. No one deserves to be happy more than the two of you."

Booth watched Angela saunter down the hall with an amused grin on his face. There was no one on the planet quite like Angela Montenegro, and he was just glad she was on their side.

Booth took a breath and opened the door to the interrogation room. Max was sitting with his head resting on his crossed arms, as if asleep. His head popped up at the sound of the door closing.

"Booth, my boy! Is that my coffee?" Max grinned. He knew that if Booth was there, it could only be good news.

"Here you go, Max. Black, hope that's okay. And this is from Bones." He said, handing Max the bag.

For a moment, Max was speechless. He knew we well as Booth that if his daughter was sending along her favorite cookie, then she was on his side. The thought made his eyes a little watery. He rooted through the bag with his head down, not wanting Booth to see.

Booth knew that Max was as touched as he himself had been, and pretended not to see the tears in the old man's eyes. "Listen, Max. We're alone here. No cameras or mics. So I feel comfortable telling you that not only do I not like you for this, Agent Zhang thinks it's a little hinky as well."

Max was relieved that his suspicions about Booth's presence were confirmed. "Thanks, Booth. Really. You know better than anyone that I want to be there for Tempe, and I know now that if she is threatened, you're there to help. She doesn't need me to be her defender anymore. I wouldn't risk the relationship we've established like that. Especially for someone who doesn't seem like he was a physical threat."

"But here's the big question, Max…is there someone out there who has it in for you? Someone who knows your MO and where to hit you? Obviously, the choice of murder weapon isn't a coincidence."

"They used my pipe? Jesus." He was glad to know why he was there but at the same time he was pissed that someone had used him like that. "Look, Booth…I've made some enemies in my time. Most of them are in prison or dead. I've been wracking my brain, trying to come up with someone who has it in for me enough to pull off something like this, and I am drawing a complete blank." Max pushed back from the table, holding his coffee close and dropping his head. "I'm sorry."

Booth was not surprised that Max was as perplexed as he was. He knew that if there were any remaining threats on Temperance or Russ that Max would still be in hiding. "I didn't really think there would be anyone, Max. My gut is telling me that this really doesn't have anything to do with you personally."

"Feels awful personal to me, Booth." Max said with a wry smile.

"You know what I mean. What scares the shit out of me more than anything is that this is a way to get to Bones. I can't even explain why, but something is making me lean that way."

"Well, whoever is doing this has picked the wrong family to mess with."

"You're goddamned right, Max." Booth stood and walked to the corner of the room, pulling his phone out of his pocket as he paced. "Charlie? Booth. Could you get a couple of agents over to Dr. Brennan's apartment? One outside the doors and one outside the apartment itself." He paused as Charlie responded. "No, just a hunch. You can double check with Hacker, but I think he'll agree with me. Thanks, Charlie." He closed the phone with a snap.

"Well, that's one thing down. I'm going to do some snooping around, see if anyone we've put away has gotten out recently, check on current cases…anything I can turn up." He pointed at Max. "You need to stay here for the time being. You're still a suspect, no matter what I think about the situation. And if something else happens, you'll have a hell of an alibi."

"Hey, I've stayed in worse places for a lot longer." Max smiled. "Just protect our girl."

"That is my intention, Max. Don't doubt that for a second." Booth said as he stalked out of the room.


	14. Fearful Symmetry

Chapter Fourteen: Fearful Symmetry

Booth scrubbed his face with his hand and sighed roughly. He had been going over his and Brennan's old case files for hours, only stopping to grab a quick sandwich and a bottled water while he perused what was essentially the best part of his life (aside from Parker) up until this point, laid out in black and white FBI reports and forensic reviews. He rolled his eyes internally and thought about that realization for a moment. What did it say about him, that the cases he worked with Bones were more satisfying to him than any relationship, sexual or otherwise, he had with any other woman in the past 5 years? While he had come to terms with his feelings for Bones a long time ago, the depth of those feelings still, sometimes, staggered him. Booth had always believed in love, always been a bit of a romantic…any woman he had dated seriously could back him up on that. He thought women deserved attention, affection and respect, and he was more than willing to go the extra mile to make a woman he was involved with feel special. But this was an entirely different ballgame. He knew that Temperance Brennan was, without a doubt, the love of his life. The yin to his yang, the other half of his soul. And while most of him rejoiced about their newly developed and admitted feelings, a small part of him was panicking. How could he ever really show her how much he truly loved her? All his past relationships rolled up together couldn't touch the importance of his relationship with Bones, and he wanted her to know that without reservation.

"_Nice, Seeley. Work yourself up about nothing. Now you're sounding like Bones."_ He thought to himself. His internal struggle was interrupted by his cell phone ringing. Shaking his head, he picked up the phone.

"Booth.", he answered.

"Special Agent Seeley Booth?", a familiar voice asked.

"Yes? Who is speaking, please?"

"This is Sheriff Karen Roach. I'm hoping you remember me, Booth." the caller responded with a laugh.

"Karen! It's good to hear from you. Still running the show in Prince George's?" Booth settled back in his chair with a smile.

"Sure am. Re-elected for the third time this past November. You still catching the bad guys with _your_ trusty forensic anthropologist?" Karen prodded, remembering the last time she had worked with Booth and Brennan on the case of a prep school student who had been hung from a tree on the grounds of the school.

Booth chuckled at the intentional inflection in Karen's voice. "Sure am. Bones and I are still the best crime fighting team in the country."

"Glad to hear it, Booth. You seemed to…work well together." Sheriff Roach tried to keep the innuendo out of her voice, but it crept in despite her best efforts. Anyone with half a brain could see that those two were hot for each other. The bickering they engaged in was like a kind of verbal foreplay that was almost like viewing porn with an audience. While embarrassing, you couldn't stop watching.

"Okay, Karen. I gotcha. We'll catch up on that some other time. What has me curious is why you're calling me in the middle of a Saturday and using your official voice to do it." An uneasiness crept into Booth's chest while he waited for Karen to gather her thoughts. Something in his gut told him that this was not going to be a good call.

"You know a guy named Mark Gaffney?"

Suddenly Booth's internal monitor went haywire. "Um..it sounds familiar. He wouldn't happen to be a deep sea welder, would he?"

The sheriff picked up on Booth's uneasiness, but couldn't find a better way to give him the information. "Was. We found his body hanging from the same tree we found Nestor Olivos's almost 5 years ago."

"Jesus." Booth fought the urge to vomit as he asked his next question. "So what made you call me about it, aside from the relation to the Olivos case?"

"Well, the killer left a calling card. He placed a rather ornate necklace around Gaffney's neck, on top of the rope. One of my deputies thought it looked peculiar, aside from the peculiarity of it adorning a dead body, so we checked out the artist. Turns out, it's a commissioned piece." Karen paused, not sure how to put into words what they had found out about the jewelry.

"And it was commissioned by Dr. Brennan." Booth finished for her, getting up from his chair and heading for the elevators in a panic.

"Yes. I'm sorry, Booth. You know we're going to have to question her about this."

"Karen, I can assure you Bones had nothing to do with this." Booth explained, laying out the events of the last 24 hours for the sheriff. His fears of the pattern emerging were confirmed by Karen's next question.

"Good God, Booth. Please tell me that you aren't an "ex" of Dr. Brennan's."

"No, I am definitely not an _"ex"_, Karen."

"Oh. Ohhhh.", she said, getting the reference. "You're the "current". Not that it makes me feel any better about your safety."

"I know, me neither." Booth reached his SUV and opened the door. "Listen, Karen. This is starting to veer into my territory here. I know you've worked hard on this case and I appreciate it more than you'll ever know, but is it possible to get you and your people to ship the body and everything with it to the FBI lab at the Hoover? I would have you send it to the Jeffersonian, but if Bones is involved in any way, I don't want her or her people within a mile of the evidence."

With a sigh, Karen relented. "I suppose that since the second victim was an FBI agent and the target is an FBI contractor, it's the government's problem now. But I want to be on record as stating that if it were any other agent, I would be pitching a fit."

"Wait…what? Second victim? When was Gaffney killed?" Booth steered the car into traffic, waiting uncomfortably for Karen's response.

"A week ago yesterday, according to the coroner. Between 11 PM and 7 AM, as near as she can figure."

"Damn. Exactly a week to the day and time that Sully was killed. That is simply too close to be a coincidence."

"I would have to agree, Booth. Listen, let me get the ball rolling here and get you what you need shipped out. I'll expect updates on the case as well as how you and Dr. Brennan are holding up." Karen smiled on the other end. "And an invitation to the wedding someday would be nice, too."

"Funny, Karen. Real funny." Booth rolled his eyes.

"In all seriousness, Booth…please. Both of you, stay safe. I mean it."

"I will do my level best. Thanks again, Karen. We'll owe you dinner sometime."

"I'll hold you to it, Booth. Give Dr. Brennan my best. 'Bye."

"'Bye." Booth snapped his phone shut as he turned into Brennan's parking garage. The elevators came into view, and he could see that the crime scene was cleared and the car, with Sully's body, was gone. He jumped out of the car and headed for the elevator, wishing that he was going upstairs with good news for a change.

"_It's almost as if we have bad television writers running our lives.",_ Booth thought to himself. _"Then again, who would write something so unbelievably trite?"_

Booth rubbed the back of his neck and pushed the button for Brennan's floor. _"Here we go again."_, he sighed.


	15. Provenance

Chapter Fifteen: Provenance

Booth stood outside Brennan's apartment door for a moment, collecting his thoughts and ignoring the sideways glance of the agent stationed outside. Mentally girding himself, he inserted the key in the lock and pushed the door open, seeing Brennan sitting on the couch, back to him.

He rounded the room and went to sit next to her. With a start, he realized that her shoulders were shaking as she sat cross-legged, head in her hands.

"Oh, Bones…" he said, reaching an arm over her shoulders. "It's going to be okay. We don't think your dad killed Sully. It's going to be fine.." Booth kissed her temple and tried to pull her closer.

"No, Booth. I'm not upset about my dad." Brennan sniffed into his chest. Lifting her head, she continued. "I mean, I am. Upset about Dad. But that's not it."

"Then what is it, babe?"

Brennan pushed herself away from him and rubbed her hand over her face. "I just got a call from my roommate in college. Apparently, two weeks ago in Chicago, a car was hit by a train, causing it to explode and killing the occupant. This afternoon the burned body of the driver was identified as Michael Stires."

All the breath in Booth's body left him at once, leaving him lightheaded and sick to his stomach. "Good Lord. Bones, I am so sorry. So, so sorry." He rubbed soothing circles on her lower back, trying to calm her. "I know the two of you had a falling out a while back, but I also know that he meant something to you once and I-"

"No, it's okay. Honestly. I feel bad about Michael, but this coupled with what happened to Sully is what is tearing me up." She stood up abruptly and began pacing in front of Booth. "This can't be a coincidence."

Gathering his thoughts, Booth exhaled. "You know I don't believe in coincidences, babe. Especially since-" He paused briefly, gauging her state of mind before continuing. "Since Mark Gaffney was found last weekend hanging from a tree at Hanover Prep in Maryland."

Brennan gasped and dropped boneless to the couch beside Booth. "Just like Nestor Olivos."

"Right. Same tree, even."

"And Michael died like the Warren Lynch case, Sully like…Kirby." Brennan gulped, willing the bile that rose in her throat back down for the moment. "Someone who has access to our cases and my personal life is doing this, Booth. Oh, God…I need to warn-"

"I know, Bones. I know. And I know how upsetting this is for you, I do. But right now, we have to focus on who this is and how we can stop them. Maybe you could make a list of people the FBI can contact, and I'll have agents call them." The thought of dredging up Brennan's past lovers was not a pleasant one, but Booth could put aside those feelings as long as he needed in order to save some lives…and her sanity.

"You don't think I should call them myself? I think I have some of them in my address book…" Brennan rose to look in her messenger bag, pulling out a well-worn book and handing it to Booth. "It may give me something to occupy me."

"As much as I would like to let you do that, Bones…I don't think it's a good idea. Let me pass it on, warnings may carry more weight with the feds calling."

"Okay, Booth. Whatever you think." Brennan agreed, once again settling herself beside him and leaning into his chest.

While Booth enjoyed how Brennan was coming to him, with no reservation, for comfort, her instant acquiescence at his suggestion worried him more than anything. Had she fought with him more, that would be his clue that she was handling things okay…in her own way. But when she gave up without even a tiny display of rebellion…he knew things were bad for her. And that worried him more than anything else that was happening at the moment.


	16. Scary Monsters

Chapter Sixteen: Scary Monsters

After calling Agent Zhang for an update on Max's status and passing Brennan's address book to the agent stationed outside her door, Booth double checked the security system and went into the bedroom, looking for Bones. He found her submerged in her bathtub, bubbles to her chin and a contemplative look on her face.

"I can hear the wheels in your head turning from here, Bones. Whatcha thinking about?" Booth asked, settling down on the closed toilet.

"I'm not sure you really want to know, Booth. My thoughts have turned decidedly dark in the last hour or so." Brennan blew a mound of bubbles from her hand and sighed.

"Hey," Booth got up and sat down on the edge of the tub. "If something is on your mind, bothering you, I want to know. I know you don't believe in psychology but it can help to get whatever's bothering you off your chest. And you know I'm always here for you, Tempe."

Brennan made what Booth liked to call her 'pinchy face'. "Ew. What did you call me?"

Booth chuckled and rolled his eyes. "Just something I was trying. But you're right; it sounds ridiculous when I say it."

"You're not kidding. I prefer it when you call me 'Bones' anyway. And wipe that grin off your face. You know it's grown on me after 5 years." Brennan blew a handful of bubbles at him. "Don't get too cocky about it."

"Alright, alright. _Bones_." Booth grinned and grabbed her hand, caressing her knuckles with his thumb. "And nice dodge, by the way. But no go. Tell me what's on your mind. Please?"

Brennan considered his plea while she lay back against the tub and enjoyed the soothing strokes his hand made on hers. "It seems kind of silly, really. I mean…you're here with me. You're not an "ex", and hopefully never will be." She stopped to gather her thoughts, not missing the grin on Booth's face at the last part of her statement. "I just…as bad as I feel for those other men, I can't help but be more worried for you right now. Does that make any sense, or am I being paranoid?"

Booth was undeniably touched that she would actually be worried about him with everything she was going through. If he didn't already love her, this would have sealed the deal. "Temperance. I am fine. I will be fine. We're going to stick together on this and nothing is going to happen to me. I promise. And you'll be fine because from now on, you're not leaving my sight until this whole thing is over."

"Booth! I am a grown woman and I can take care of myself!" Booth grinned as Brennan let loose her alpha female in full force. _'She's back!'_ he thought to himself, almost giddy. "But if you need me to protect _you_, I am more than capable." She gave him the same grin back, almost laughing. She didn't know how, but Booth, simply holding her hand and talking to her, just made everything okay. That thought was both soothing and terrifying, all at the same time. Soothing to have someone who just knew what to do to make you feel better, and terrifying to have your whole life's happiness tied up in one person. Brennan decided to embrace the former, because if the events of the last 24 hours had taught her anything, it was that life was short and you never knew when everything would come crashing down on your head when you weren't looking.

After a good night's sleep and other, more enjoyable nocturnal activities, Booth and Brennan were sitting at her kitchen counter when Booth's cell rang.

"Booth." He answered. Listening to the caller, he walked away from the kitchen, trying to drop his voice. "When was he found and where?" The caller answered and Booth barked back, "Just get a hold of the locals and tell them this is FBI jurisdiction now. We don't need them screwing up evidence if it's possible to avoid. Not every municipality is going to be as thorough as Prince George's was!"

A burning dread began to bubble up in Brennan's stomach. _'Another dead 'ex''_, she thought. _'Great. Who in the hell is doing this?!?'_.

Booth snapped his phone shut and turned to Brennan. "Bones.."

"I know, Booth. They've found another body. Who is it?"

"David Simmons. He was found buried face down, hands and feet bound, in Greenbelt Park."

"Epps."

"Yep. Epps."

Brennan jumped up and began pacing the kitchen. "How long had he been there?"

"At least a month. They identified him through his wallet. They'll verify, but it is most likely him. No one has heard from him at the cult in at least 4 weeks." Booth started to walk towards her to offer comfort, but the look on her face told him that what she needed right now was distance…and a good old fashioned, patented (in his head, anyway), official 'Bones Mini-Meltdown'. It always seemed to help her focus, so he let her go.

"Why?!? Why me? I mean, 5 years ago I identified remains, I traveled all over the world, I taught college, I had a safe, boring life! Then I meet you and suddenly I am getting kidnapped, shot at, buried alive, hung by my arms by mob thugs, I'm shooting suspects and manipulating evidence to get my murdering father out of prison! What on earth could I have been thinking, blackmailing you into taking me into the field?" She stopped and gasped, realizing what she said. "Booth…"

He finally closed the distance between them and pulled her into a 'not-a-guy-hug hug'. "I know, Bones. I know. It's okay. If you need to go off on me, take anything out on me…go ahead. Whatever makes you feel better and helps you center yourself. I can take it, I'm a tough guy." He grinned down at her so she knew it truly was okay.

"What did I ever do to deserve you, Booth? I don't know how you put up with my neurotic tendencies, I really don't." She looked into his eyes, letting the warmth and love she saw there wash over her, calming her even more than her little rant had managed to do. "I just love you so much. And you know I didn't mean any of that I said. My life with you in it is so much more than it ever would have been without you. I hope you know that."

"I do, Bones. And the same goes for me. My life would be incomplete without you in it as well." Patented charm smile in place, he continued. "So I guess we're stuck with each other, huh?"

Finally fully relaxing for the first time in over 36 hours, Brennan smiled. "I can think of worse fates in life than to be stuck with you, Booth. I love you."

"I love you, too Bones. Always have, always will. I'm just sorry it took me so long to say it."

"Me, too."


	17. Hungry

Hungry

Brennan decided that she felt well enough to go into work that afternoon. Booth was insistent that if she was determined to go, he was going with her.

"Besides, Bones…I've always wanted to break in that couch in your office the right way." He leered, easily avoiding the smack she tried to level at him as they walked into her elevator.

"Booth, we need to remain professional at work. No matter what is going on between us, the work has to come first while we are there." Brennan's tone of voice brooked no argument, even as her brain began to play images of Booth taking her in her office. She pushed the thoughts out of her head and continued. "We have to maintain the integrity of the lab."

"I was kidding, Bones. Not that I haven't had a fantasy or two about that couch and you in your lab coat…" With a smile, Booth held the door as she climbed into the SUV.

"My lab coat, huh? Why Seeley Booth, who knew you had a kinky side?" The idea that Booth found her hot in her work attire turned her on to no end. "Next you'll be telling me that the pony play scenario has peaked your interest as well."

Booth put his hand up, stopping her from continuing. "Yuck, Bones. Just…ew. Besides, you should remember what I said about that kind of thing. Crappy sex, Bones. Crappy sex."

Brennan tried to control the flush of heat that washed over her, remembering a combination of the speech he's given her about making love, and the actual act itself. "I'm sorry, Booth. I couldn't resist. But you're right," she continued, giving him a sexy, sidelong glance. "Making love is much better than any role play we could come up with. You've definitely proven your point on that. Several times, in fact."

"And you'll do well to remember that, Bones. Having you in your lab coat, or even a Catholic schoolgirl uniform is as wild as I am going to get." Booth couldn't help throwing that last suggestion in for good measure. Hey, you never knew what would stick.

"Hmmm. Interesting, Agent Booth. Very interesting." Brennan mentally ran through her closet, trying to remember if she had anything there that resembled a plaid skirt. Perhaps, when this was all over, a shopping trip was in order.

As they pulled up to the parking structure of the Jeffersonian, Booth tried to mentally prepare himself for reverting back to his usual "Look but don't touch" policy where Bones was concerned. He had gotten so used to kissing her and running his hands all over her whenever he wanted, even in such a short span of time, he wasn't sure he could stop without some serious, focused concentration. Unbeknownst to him, Brennan was having the same problem. She thought back to just a few days ago, in the bone room, where they had shared that first incredibly hot kiss. She shivered with the memory, then pushed the recollection back down and prepared to face her co-workers for the first time as Booth's girlfriend. _'Girlfriend.'_ She thought, smiling again. _'As juvenile as that sounds, I think I like it.'_

Booth put the SUV in park and leaned across the console, his breath fanning her hair near her ear. "Bones…one more kiss before we have to go in and act like adults?"

"That is acceptable." She agreed, leaning into him while cupping his jaw. Their lips met tentatively, softly. She sighed against him and the small sound managed to snap his tenuous control like a twig. With a groan, he plundered the depths of her mouth, begging entrance and reciprocation. Brennan was more than happy to comply, letting her tongue run along his bottom lip, tasting his unique flavor…a combination of coffee, mint and Booth.

Without so much as a warning, she crawled across the seats, straddling his lap and wrapping her arms around his neck, moaning his name like a prayer. Booth knew that if they kept this up for much longer he wasn't going to be able to stop, but found that he was past caring. Brennan grabbed his hand that rested on her hip and brought it up to her breast, silently begging. He wholeheartedly agreed, sliding underneath her blouse and thumbing her already hard nipple, eliciting a deep groan and causing her to grind her lower body onto his already painful erection. Her hands came from behind his neck to rest on his belt buckle, deftly opening the clasp and pulling down his zipper, seemingly at the same time. Booth moaned and grabbed her hand in his. "Bones..do you really want to do this here? Where anyone could-"

She stopped him with another kiss. "Booth, I need you. Now. And I don't care who knows it." She continued to remove his pants, letting him rise up slightly to pull them down over his hips along with his boxers and out of her way. He yanked up her skirt, reaching between her legs to find that not only was she wet and ready, but had conveniently forgotten to wear panties that day. Without breaking the connection between their lips, Brennan raised her hips and pulled him into her, breathing his name on a sigh of total abandonment. "Please, Booth…please. I feel so complete with you inside me. Don't-" she gasped as he levered his hips up, stopping her begging and drawing a gasp from her. "Right there…don't stop!"

As if he could stop. The feel of her warm body enveloping his was almost too much for Booth to bear, and he feared this was going to be over far too quickly. But his fears were unfounded as Brennan began to make noises deep in her throat that he had come to recognize as the signals that she was getting close to orgasm. He pumped his hips harder and bent his head to lave her nipple through her bra, having pulled the blouse aside in his ardor. Suddenly, she grabbed his hair and threw her head back, keening low in her chest and crying out in abandon. "Oh, God! Oh, God! Yes, yes, yes!!"

As the orgasm hit her, it felt like her entire body was aflame. Every nerve ending prickled, sending her further over the edge than she had ever gone. She looked down into Booth's eyes, dark and passion-filled, as she came down from her peak, riding him harder to bring him to the brink as well. He stared back at her, gripping her hips tightly as he muttered endearments to her and finally let himself go. "I-I love you, Temperance! So, so much-" He gasped as he was hit like a freight train by his orgasm, pulling her forward and latching onto her lips with his, moaning into her mouth with satisfaction.

Brennan giggled as she came back to herself, realizing that this was the first time she had ever gotten so lost in passion that she forgot where she was. Her rational self told her that it was a combination of pheromones and serotonin that reacted to Booth's unique scent, but the woman in her knew the truth. His heart, his head, his body, his soul…every part of him made her weak in the knees and foggy in the mind. She had long since embraced the fact that she loved Booth, but until this moment she had never really considered what that meant. Now she knew. He was her other half, her perfect puzzle piece, her soul mate. (Metaphorically speaking, of course.) She could never, ever get enough of this man. And while six months ago that thought would have terrified her, right now all it did was give her peace. Peace she hadn't felt since she was 15 years old. And she was determined to make sure that he felt the same way as well. For the rest of their lives.


	18. Red Museum

Red Museum

After getting themselves situated and redressed, and after a few more hot kisses, Booth and Brennan exited the SUV and headed into the Jeffersonian. They'd agreed to be professional while in the lab and at the Hoover, so they simply walked as they always had. No hand holding, no kissing, just Booth's hand at her back protectively. Even with the events of the last 48 hours, Brennan felt a certain amount of comfort that some things never changed.

Her quiet peace was shattered as soon as they entered the lab proper and viewed the scene in front of them. Cam raced across the lab shouting orders, her medical bag in hand, while guards followed her wearing worried looks and speaking hurriedly into their walkie-talkies.

"What the hell is going on?" Booth bellowed, directing the question at Angela, who was standing on the forensic platform looking lost.

Angela literally jerked in response, not seeing Booth and Brennan entering the lab at first. "Oh, God…you guys. It's…"

"They found a body in the incinerator downstairs. Again." Hodgins supplied helpfully, placing a comforting arm around Angela's shoulders.

Brennan visibly paled, and reached to grab Booth's hand, clutching it tightly. "Oh, no…no…not again!" She turned to Booth with a panicked look. "Please, go find out…find…"

"Hodgins! Take Bones and Angela and go to one of the offices, wait for me to get back. NOW!" He kissed Brennan on the forehead, taking a second to breathe in her scent to calm him. "Bones..." he said, quietly. "It will be fine. Go with Hodgins and wait for me to get back. I'll let you know what's going on the moment I know. Okay? Do you trust me?"

"Yes. I trust you. Just hurry back." Brennan held Booth's hand for a moment longer, and then followed a waiting Hodgins to her office, looking back at Booth's retreating back more than once.

While the three sat in Brennan's office, Hodgins tried to make conversation in order to take their minds off what was going on down in the basement of the museum.

"So, Dr. B. You and Booth, huh?" He grinned at her.

Brennan sighed, knowing that conversations like this were going to be inevitable for the foreseeable future, but not really minding sharing with Hodgins. She considered him a dear friend, and it was obvious that he was genuinely happy for them. "Yes, Hodgins. Booth and I are together now."

"I'm glad. I really am." He couldn't resist a little bit of teasing at Booth's expense, since the G-Man wasn't around to threaten to shoot him. "It was getting old, watching Booth mope around here all the time, obviously head over heels for you."

"Really?" Brennan was truly interested in another perspective on their relationship, and she respected Hodgins insights. "I can't believe I never noticed. How would he act?"

"Oh, c'mon, Dr. B! Even you had to see how jealous he would get when another man paid any attention to you! He practically radiated pure energy filled with hate!" Hodgins had to laugh at the thought. "Oh, man..he's been incredibly entertaining for years!"

"Years?" Brennan chewed thoughtfully on her lip. "He couldn't have-"

"Oh, sweetie…it may not have been love at first, but he definitely wanted you…even years ago." Angela finally relaxed enough to join in on discussing her favorite topic. "You were just too wrapped up in your science and logic to see it then."

"Oh." Brennan felt as if she had been left out of a joke that everyone else was already laughing about.

Angela knew that look. "Don't do that, Bren. Neither of you were ready until now, you know that. It was meant to be when you were _both_ in the same place. The universe has a way of working itself out in time, and that time for you and Booth is now."

Brennan shook her head slightly. "Well, I don't know that the universe has anything to do with romantic entanglements, but I believe you are right about our not being ready until now. I don't know if I could have expressed the depth of my feelings for Booth until just a few days ago. Now that I recognize those feeling as love, we can build a relationship."

"Love?! You love him?! Good for you, sweetie!" Angela couldn't believe that her rational best friend had just uttered the 'L' word in relation to Seeley Booth. It was much more than she expected. "I know I am not alone in saying 'Finally!'"

Brennan smiled and managed not to blush. "It has been a long time coming, Ang. But I am really, really happy."

Just then, Booth stepped into the office, a grim look on his face. "Bones, we need to talk."

Brennan knew that look. "Who is it, Booth? Just tell me."

"Pete St. James. Stabbed through the chest and thrown down the incinerator. Just like Kristen Reardon." Booth said, resignedly.

"How do you know that it's Pete?" Brennan asked, keeping a tenuous hold on her emotions.

Booth debated telling her everything, but knew she would never forgive him if he left out this important detail.

"This time, the killer left a note."


	19. Grotesque

_**Previously:**_

_**Booth stepped into the office, a grim look on his face. "Bones, we need to talk."**_

_**Brennan knew that look. "Who is it, Booth? Just tell me."**_

"_**Pete St. James. Stabbed through the chest and thrown down the incinerator. Just like Kristen Reardon." Booth said, resignedly. **_

"_**How do you know that it's Pete?" Brennan asked, keeping a tenuous hold on her emotions. **_

_**Booth debated telling her everything, but knew she would never forgive him if he left out this important detail. **_

"_**This time, the killer left a note."**_

Chapter Nineteen: Grotesque

Brennan jumped up, her hand out to Booth. "Give me the note!" They both tried to ignore how badly her hand shook as she asked.

"Bones..I don't know if that's such a good idea." Booth countered, even as he led her back to the couch, handing her the evidence bag containing the note.

Brennan wanted to get angry about his overprotective, alpha-male attitude, but she was too insistent on getting a look at the missive sent by her tormentor. "Booth. I can handle it. I promise. Besides, maybe there is something in the note that only I would understand…a message, maybe?"

"Alright. Okay." Booth relented.

Brennan turned the note over in her hands, looking for something besides the block printing that relayed the body of the message. Nothing. "No prints?"

"Nothing. It was clean as a whistle." Booth verified.

"Okay." Brennan took a breath, and began to read.

_**Temperance,**_

_**By now you must have realized that all my hard work has been for you. Only for you. I have watched you from a distance, waiting for you to wake up and realize that all you've ever needed to be complete was right in front of you. That the one man who wanted to defend you from all that the Universe threw your way was always there, always silently observing and waiting, always understanding you. So the mistakes of your past needed to be erased, so we could start anew, a fresh beginning. I have contented myself with someone who is but a pale imitation of you, but her time with me is drawing to a close, as it should be. She is only a surrogate for my perfect happiness. You, Temperance. You. Nothing will keep us apart, and the time for us is drawing nearer and nearer.**_

_**I know that you have found all but one of my little "gifts" for you, and I still have one more assignment to complete before my work here is done and you finally see me for what I am…the man who is your equal in every way. This last assignment will be the hardest for me to execute, because I know how much he means to you, how much you think you love him. But believe me when I tell you, he isn't good enough for you. You need tenderness and adoration, and he will never be able to provide you with that. Not like I can. **_

_**Please remember what I've said…it wasn't your fault. I will be with you soon.**_

Brennan looked up at Booth in horror. "Booth! You're his next target! Oh, my God! Why didn't it occur to me? I've put you in danger…" She covered her mouth, trying not to scream.

Booth grabbed her and pulled her into him, holding her against his chest and whispering in her ear. "Bones…stop this. Now. Nothing is going to happen to me, I won't let it."

"You can't know that!"

"I can and I do, Bones. I do." Booth continued stroking her back, rubbing in large circles, trying to calm her. "He made a mistake. He warned me."

Brennan sniffled, looking into his eyes. She nodded and kissed him softly. "You're right. I know. I have faith in you."

Booth threw her the charm smile and kissed her again. "Y'know, Bones, I could get used to this recent propensity you've had for saying that I'm right. It's nice for the ego."

Finally smiling back, Brennan corrected him. "Don't even think about it. I'm under great emotional distress; nothing I say can be taken seriously."

"Of course." Booth agreed with ease. "Whatever you say, Bones. You're the boss." Brennan rolled her eyes as he continued. "Listen, I have Sweets getting a profile together for us to look at, and I need to give him the note to add to it. Will you be okay here while I go call him and get him over here?"

"Yes. As long as you don't go anywhere outside the lab without me. I'll be fine."

"I'm not going anywhere. I promise. Be right back." Booth placed another kiss on her head as he stood. Pointing to Angela and Hodgins, who had been sitting silently watching the entire exchange in front of them play out, he ordered, "Stay with her. Don't let her out of your sight."

"Got it, Booth. Go, call the Boy Wonder. We'll be here." Hodgins nodded.

"Thanks, man." Booth walked out of the office and down the hall to call Sweets.

Angela walked over and took Booth's place beside Brennan, placing a hand on her knee. "Are you okay, Bren? Honestly."

"Yes, Ang. I'm not great, but I am okay. As long as-" She stopped, not wanting to reveal anymore weakness than she already had, even to such good friends.

"Dr. B…Temperance. We know. And believe me, when Booth says he isn't going anywhere, you can take that to the bank. He is a man of his word, you know that." Hodgins comforted her the best way he knew how. This whole thing was so surreal, he felt like he had stepped into one of those Dali paintings Angela loved so much. He surreptitiously checked his watch to make sure it wasn't melting, and then addressed the women. "Do either of you ladies feel like eating? It's almost lunch time, and I think I can pull some strings and have the diner deliver us something."

Brennan suddenly noticed that her stomach was growling. "That would be great, Jack. You know what everyone likes, right? Maybe we should find Cam and see if she's hungry as well."

"Done. Be right back, you two hold tight." Hodgins left the office, taking out his phone and dialing as he headed the way Booth had walked.

Angela sighed and looked at Brennan. She searched her friend's face and saw the exhaustion and stress etched all over her. "Sweetie, why don't you lie down for a bit while we wait for the food? I'll stay right here, and I'll wake you when lunch arrives. Okay?"

Thinking that a tiny nap sounded like a great idea, Brennan relented, lying down on the soft leather of the couch.. "Alright. But Ang, wake me up, don't let me sleep too long under some misplaced worry that I need the extra rest. Promise?"

Angela placed the soft cashmere throw over Brennan and smiled. "I swear. As soon as the food arrives. Now sleep, Bren."

Closing her eyes, Brennan let the last couple of days slip away from her consciousness and relaxed. She knew Booth would be relentless in finding her tormentor, and that was all the reassurance she needed to finally drift off, a small smile gracing her face.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

First of all, thanks for all the lovely reviews thus far! Everyone has been wonderful.

Secondly, while I am not happy that my Phillies were defeated by the Yankees last night, on the bright side we get a new Bones tonight…so, lose/WIN!

And finally, I placed a few clues as to the killer's identity in the above chapter. One is sort of obvious (to me, anyway) but the others might require a bit of research, if you're up to it. If you have a guess, please don't put it in a review…keep it a secret! Good luck and thank you again!


	20. Within

Chapter 20~ Within

Leaving Brennan in her office for even a minute had set Booth's nerves on edge. Rationally, he knew that if anyone was in danger right now it was him, but emotionally he just wanted to wrap her in his arms and never let go. He could see her talking with Angela and Hodgins, eating whatever rabbit food they had ordered from the diner. Cam had joined them as well, and the group had managed to get Brennan to relax a little bit, joking and laughing about something Booth was sure he would never understand.

Hearing the main doors whoosh open, Booth watched as Dr. Lance Sweets strolled into the lab. Truth be told, Booth liked the kid. But short of holding a gun to his head and forcing him, he would never admit it out loud to anyone. Not even Bones.

Sweets approached Booth, case file in hand and a worried look on his face. "Agent Booth. I have that profile you wanted." The young psychologist looked at the older agent, resembling for all the world a puppy who is expecting to be kicked any second. The thought made Booth wince internally.

"Thanks, Sweets. What can you tell me?"

"Well, before I get into it…how is Dr. Brennan holding up?" Sweets glanced towards the office, taking in the jovial scene. "She seems okay."

Booth shook his head slightly. "As well as can be expected, I guess. You know Bones…she'll try to compartmentalize as much as she can. Whatever else spills over the watertight holds, I'll try to handle as best as I can."

"Good. Glad to hear that you're supporting her as always, Booth." Sweets glanced at Booth, waiting for him to say something about dropping the "Agent" from his name. Surprised that no verbal slap was forthcoming, he continued on. "Should we go do this with Dr. Brennan as well? So I don't have to repeat it for her?"

"Sure. Let's go."

Booth and Sweets entered the office just as Hodgins was finishing a story about what had happened at a bar last weekend with himself, Booth and Wendell. "And the woman, who I swear was wearing forty pounds of eye makeup and a Dolly Parton wig on crooked, leans into Booth and says, 'Oh, honey. I wouldn't even make you take off your gun.' And Booth just glares at her and says-"

The clearing of a throat stopped Hodgins dead. He spared a glance at the door, where Booth was glaring at him with unrestrained ire. Brennan laughed and started to tease Booth. "Oh, come on, Booth! You have to know that your symmetrical features and well-defined musculature are going to attract an undesirable woman on occasion. You can't always expect to have the beautiful women hitting on you!"

Booth softened his glare for Brennan, replying "Bones. The point was that I don't want nor need any other woman hitting on me, attractive or…otherwise. I am off the market and have been for a long time."

Brennan blushed from head to toe, grinning at Angela's unrestrained _'Awwww…'_.

"Okay, then. Now that I have officially reached my romantically nauseated quota for the day…Dr. Sweets, I assume you're here to give us a profile of the person who is terrorizing Dr. Brennan?" Cam interjected, trying to alleviate the embarrassment for Brennan.

"Oh, yes. Of course, Dr. Saroyan. I read a copy of the note that was left with the last body, and I can tell you that we are dealing with an obsessive-compulsive with a God complex combined with hero worship. Very disturbed individual and very unpredictable. Dangerously so. This man believes that no one, not even Booth, is good enough for Dr. Brennan and is eliminating all remnants of her romantic past so that she has no other recourse but to choose him, or be alone forever. He will try and eliminate anyone who has a relationship with Dr. Brennan."

"Try being the operative word here, Sweets. I am not going anywhere." Booth insisted.

Sweets looked chagrined. "So the rumors around the Hoover are true, then? You and Dr. Brennan are officially dating?"

"Yes, Dr. Sweets. Although we haven't been out on a date, per se. We've just engaged in-" Booth cut Brennan off before she could get more explicit.

"That's fine, Bones. He may be twelve, but he knows what you're saying without specifics."

"Okay, then. We'll have to discuss this in our next session, you know. But for now, I have a list of suspects that fit the profile…" Sweets moved some papers in and out of his folder, turning over pages and appeared to be looking for something. "Bogus. I left the list of suspects in my office." Standing, he readied to leave. "I'll fax the list over to you, Agent Booth. You can go over them here, I think. Maybe a name will pop out for you as well, Dr. Brennan."

"Tell you what, Sweets. I'll just go with you and get the list personally. Then I can get into the FBI database easier from my office. It's a pain to do it from here." Booth stood and gestured for Brennan to follow him.

"Booth, I am fine here in the lab. We have plenty of security and besides, I am not really the target, right?" Brennan sat back down calmly, fully expecting Booth to relent to her logical argument.

On a sigh of resignation, Booth decided that the best course of action was to relent, not wanting to get into a shouting match with an audience. And besides, she was right. "Okay, Bones. You stay here. I'll go with Sweets, look up a few names, and be back in time to get you at 6. No arguments on this. Then we'll pick up something to eat and go home. Okay?"

Glad Booth had accepted her terms, she decided to accept his. "Fine. 6 it is. I'll go down to limbo, and I'll make sure someone is with me. I promise."

Booth leaned down and kissed Brennan softly, ignoring the catcalls and 'whoo hoo's' from Angela, Cam and Hodgins. "I'll call you before I leave the Hoover. Love you."

"I love you, too. Please be careful."

"Hey, I'll be fine. Besides, I have Sweets here to protect me." He gave the kid a soft shove and grinned at Brennan. "Don't worry. See you soon."

Booth, with Sweets trailing closely behind, strolled out the door whistling a tune only he recognized.


	21. The Truth

Chapter Twenty-One: The Truth

Brennan rolled her head on her neck and closed the lid to the box of bones she was working on in limbo. A quick glance to the doorway showed that the guard was still standing watch, occasionally taking a surreptitious look at his watch and sighing. With a soft laugh, she glanced at her watch and was shocked to discover that it was almost 7 PM. Booth had said he would be there at 6 to get her, and it now occurred to her that she hadn't heard from him since he left that afternoon. A sick, sinking feeling started in her stomach as she raced out of the room, the guard tight on her heels. She pulled her phone out of her lab coat and hit speed dial #1, silently praying to Booth's God that she was overreacting. When the call immediately went to voice mail, Brennan stopped dead, one leg poised to enter the forensic platform, the other trying its best not to buckle under her.

Angela turned on the platform and saw the look on her best friend's face, a mix of horror and recognition, and knew immediately that something had happened to Booth. "Oh God, Bren…where is Booth? What's happened?" She ran down the steps and grabbed Brennan's hand, letting her hold tight.

"I-I don't know. He was supposed to be here at 6, it's almost 7 now and all I get is his voice mail. Something is definitely wrong, Angela. Something horrible…" Brennan couldn't finish her thought as a sob tore from her throat, causing her to grip Angela even harder. "I need…need to…"

Before Angela could react, Brennan's legs finally gave out and she was falling towards the ground.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The first thing Booth was aware of was the pain in his arms and shoulders. It was a searing, constant throb that only got worse when he tried to move. He slowly opened his eyes, taking in the scene in front of him. A warehouse. Cages emitting a loud barking noise. And his arms attached to a metal hook above his head.

'_This is really bad,'_ he thought. _'I'm sorry, Bones.'_

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Brennan opened her eyes slowly, wincing as she adjusted to the bright lights of her office. "Booth?" She tried to sit up, but something was holding her down. Or someone, anyway.

"Sweetie, stay down. Let Cam get a look at you before you move. You scared us all to death." Angela held her shoulders as Brennan struggled to get up.

"No, Angela! Booth is out there somewhere, and he may be…" she stopped, not allowing herself to believe the worst. "He needs my help! I need to find out who is doing this and get to him!"

Angela sighed and released Brennan reluctantly. "Alright, alright. But you need to calm down and let us help you. You've been out for almost an hour, let me get you up to speed."

Realizing that Angela was only trying to help, Brennan relented. "Okay. Thanks, Ang." She spared her friend a small smile. "What is going on?"

"I think I can help with some of that." Andrew Hacker stepped into the office, closing the door behind him. "Dr. Brennan, I'm glad to see you up and about. How are you feeling?"

"I think we can dispense with the formalities, Andrew. Please." Brennan gestured to the chair across from where she and Angela sat. "Tell me what is happening."

"Alright, Temperance. But I need you to listen carefully, and know that the FBI has every available agent working this. Booth is extremely well-liked and respected. We want him back almost as badly as you do." Andrew noticed that Brennan was sporting dark circles under her eyes and that her hands shook slightly. He couldn't even imagine the fear she was feeling right now, but he knew that Booth would want them to make sure she was not only taken care of, but informed every step of the way, he ran down the basics of the case as clinically as he could. Glancing at Angela and getting a nod, he began to fill Brennan in on the shocking facts they had learned in the last hour.

"Earlier this afternoon, a burned out car was discovered along side the road in Tucker County, Virginia. It contained the body of a woman who was burned beyond recognition. In the tree next to the car, a baby car seat was found with a doll sitting inside."

"The Meg Taylor case. Andy" Brennan whispered, the horror of the original scene playing in a loop in her head.

"That's what we assumed as well after Sheriff Delpy informed us of the parallels." Hacker took a breath and continued. "The body was taken to the FBI forensics lab for identification as soon as it was determined that this could be another in the series that has been linked to you. The techs immediately ran the victim's DNA through several databases in order to get an ID. As they were working, I received a call from Ms. Montenegro about your concerns about Booth. Since I do not believe in coincidence, I checked with our guards and pulled surveillance tapes from the Hoover's parking structure. According to Angela, that is where Agent Booth was headed the last time he was seen by any of you."

"Yes. He was going to get a list of suspects from Sweets and then run the names through the databases." Brennan felt a crushing weight on her chest as something significant began dawning on her. "What did the tapes show?"

Hacker continued. "Well, the guards did confirm that Booth never checked into the building, so I personally viewed the tapes from that timeframe. His SUV is seen entering the structure and parking out of range. Several minutes later, it was seen leaving. But Booth was no longer behind the wheel."

All the breath left Brennan's lungs as realization slapped her directly across the face. "Dr. Sweets…" she breathed. "Oh my God. How could we have missed it?" Jumping up from the couch, she began to pace frantically.

Angela nodded her head, trying to fight off tears. "It was Sweets driving the SUV. He's the killer, Bren. It was Sweets the whole time."

"What else, Andrew? What else do you know?" Brennan was practically begging by now, almost hysterical. The revelation about Sweets seemed to almost not register with her in her current state.

"Temperance. Please. Take a deep breath. I'll tell you everything, but I need you to focus." He stood in front of her and placed his hands on her shoulders. "Booth needs you to focus. I believe there is still time to find him."

"How can you possibly know that?" Brennan asked, staring into Hacker's eyes, willing him to convince her that the only man she had ever truly loved still had a chance.

"Because every single victim was alive for at least 10 hours between the time they were taken and the time they died. For some reason, Dr. Sweets is keeping them somewhere, alive, until he re-creates whatever crime scene he's chosen."

"Re-creates…oh. 'Pale imitation'…you've identified the woman in the car as Daisy Wick, haven't you?" Brennan's teeth began to chatter as the clues started to come together in her head.

"Yes. Just about 20 minutes ago. And there is another thing…" Hacker seemed almost loathe to continue, but Angela encouraged him.

"You need to tell her everything. She won't like that you kept it from her."

With a nod, Hacker started again. "We found another body. A Jason DeFry?"

"I never even slept with Jason!" Brennan slapped her hand over her mouth, horrified that the information had popped out, unbidden. "Sorry. How was he found?"

"Inside of a refrigerator. Someone at the dump found the body; he had probably been there for 6 weeks or so. I am sorry, Temperance." Brennan nodded to Hacker, motioning for him to finish.

"Right now, all we know about Booth's disappearance is that Lance Sweets is obviously responsible, and that he will most definitely use Booth to re-create a crime scene that you and Booth worked together. The good news, if you can call it that, is that he left another note." Hacker handed the evidence bag to Brennan. "Do you feel like you can handle it?"

"Of course!" she snapped. Sighing again, she apologized. "I am just…I don't know."

"It's fine. Just take a look at this and see if anything pops out at you." Hacker sat back down as Brennan began reading.

_**Temperance,**_

_**By now I am sure you are aware that I have Booth. Right now, and for a short time, he is still alive. But not for long. Unfortunately for Booth, no one is going to storm in, guns blazing, playing the hero for him. And it's your entire fault. You sent him with me. **_

_**I now realize that I was very wrong about you, Temperance. I thought that you were a kind, loving, generous soul who would be the one woman to make me feel like a real man, and not like some weak imitation playing dress-up. But now I see you for what you really are. A superficial glory-whore who is only interested in a man for his looks and athletic prowess. You could have chosen me, a man who is infinitely more worthy of you intellectually than that Neanderthal of a partner of yours, who never let any other man close enough to have a decent chance with you. But you chose unwisely, and for that Booth will have to pay. **_

_**I will not be alive to see your face when you find his body, but rest assured I have already fantasized about the moment in my head, and it is what gives me the courage to finish this. I would wish you the best, but it's obvious that you don't deserve that. **_

_**Yours, **_

_**Dr. Lance Sweets**_

Suddenly, Brennan's head snapped up, eyes wide and shining with tears.

"I know where Booth is."


	22. The Truth Part II

_**This is a long one, so stick with me. It'll all work out, hopefully. ;)**_

_**~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~**_

Chapter Twenty-Two: The Truth Part II

Drip.

Drip.

Drip.

Drip.

The sound was maddening. Even with the pain radiating from his arms, shoulders, back, legs, feet, knees (was that everything? he didn't even know anymore) he could focus on nothing except that slow drip of water falling not two feet from his head.

Drip.

Drip.

Drip.

Drip.

Finally breaking up the monotony, he saw a pair of brown loafers appear near where his feet dangled tantalizingly close to the ground, the dirty concrete within reach of his toes but not quite…wait. Loafers? Who wears loafers to a murder? Who did this guy think he was, Ted Bundy? Booth shook his head, trying to clear the cobwebs and focus his attention on the psycho in front of him.

"Agent Booth?"

_What? What the hell do you want?_

"Booth? Can you hear me?"

_I don't care what you do to me! Just leave her alone!_

Suddenly, a sharp pain exploded on the side of his face and he was finally able to lift his head from its dangling position.

"Answer me!!!" the loafers screamed, wielding a two by four with fervor.

_I thought I was. Wasn't I?_

"Sweets?" It was a raspy whisper, and the psychologist had to lean almost into him to hear it.

"It's about time you woke up. I was getting bored, waiting for you." Sweets walked back a few more feet, seeming to prefer the distance from his captive. No matter how subdued Booth appeared, Sweets was not stupid. He knew anything could happen with this man.

"Sweets, what the hell is going on? What are you _doing_?!?" If the Easter Bunny had turned out to be the killer, Booth would not have been more shocked. His attention was diverted again by the dripping noise again, and he looked around to find the source. Right…left…up (as much as possible, anyway)…down. _Oh._ He was the source. And the dripping liquid was most definitely not water.

"Something wrong, Booth?"

"You're crazy, Sweets. But then again, you probably already knew that. 'Physician, heal thyself' not working for you?" Even knowing that he was slowly bleeding to death with no possible escape, Booth couldn't resist jabbing at the kid. The screaming pain to his head when the two by four connected again brought him back to the subject at hand.

"Why, Sweets?" he gasped. "What are you thinking?"

Sweets smiled; glad to finally be able to relate his master plan to someone. "Well, I'll tell you, Booth, it's very simple. I have had to spend two to three days a week for 2 and a half years watching the most amazing woman in the world give herself over and over again to the longest string of losers I have ever laid eyes on."

"I'm actually with you there, man." Booth simply could not keep his mouth shut. _'What is wrong with me?'_

"Shut up." Sweets responded, conversationally. "Anyway, even though Temperance never really showed any real interest in me romantically, I knew that she wouldn't find anyone better for her than I. That is, until I saw the way she looked at _you_." He finished his statement with a sneer.

"And this is my fault, how?" Booth braced himself for another smack with the wood Sweets continued to swing around, but nothing happened. He looked up and directly into Sweets' eyes. They were almost smiling.

"It's not. Not really, anyway. Intellectually I understand your appeal to most women. You're good looking, you are muscular, and you're a damned hero. How could she resist you? But deep down, I had hoped she had more substance than that. In fact, watching the two of you in therapy I could see how you felt about her, but her feelings were never as clear. That's why I gave you that spiel about your brain scans. I figured that if you believed you didn't really love her, you'd give her the time she needed to come to the realization that I was the perfect man for her. But you just couldn't leave it alone!" He punctuated his rambling with three swift kicks to Booth's abdomen, sucking the breath out of his body and causing him to black out for a few seconds.

When he was sure that Booth was awake, Sweets continued. "So you see, the only way I could let her know the mistakes she had made with her choices in male companionship and also try to insure that she would be too scared to try to date anyone ever again was to eliminate the former competitors. I was really only trying to scare her away from you and into my arms, but the bodies were discovered too late. I had to sit in that restaurant and watch you two make googly eyes at each other. I followed you and got a front row seat to your make out session in the garage…not my finest hour, I assure you. But in the end, it turned out so much better than I had hoped when I noticed that Agent Sullivan was following you as well. Then Max Keenan shows up, and everything just fell into place. Sully didn't even fight me, it was all too easy. And the fact that you actually found the body…that couldn't have worked out any better. I was able to ignore that you were upstairs before that screwing her, but by then it didn't matter. I knew she was never going to be mine. But I needed to make sure that she was never yours, either. At least not for long. So, that's why you're here. To be part of my big finale."

"Finale?"

"Oh yeah. See, the men who came before? Small potatoes. She never really cared for them, not much anyway. They were dalliances, even Sullivan. None of them even came close to you on her radar. You, the metaphorical 'Love of Her Life'. So, in order to truly make her suffer for her choices, I am going to take away the only person she has ever really loved with all her heart."

Booth let his head fall back against his chest. "You know that she is stronger than that. She can compartmentalize. She'll survive me."

"Oh, no. Not at all. See, I was able to get an accurate picture of how Dr. Brennan will react by conducting a little experiment. You actually gave me the opportunity by stepping in front of that bullet for her at the Checkerbox, and I simply couldn't let that moment pass. And it was epic, Booth. Truly epic."

"What are you talking about, Sweets? Bones was fine, she didn't even want to go to the funeral!"

"Yes, that's what you have been led to believe by everyone. But you weren't there, of course. You didn't get to see how she lost ten pounds over those two weeks, how she essentially locked herself in limbo and barely came out to use the restroom, how she literally _howled_ at the hospital when the doctor told her you were dead. You missed it all, because you were too busy doing your job to care. She suffered, Booth. Greatly. And that was before she even realized that she was in love with you. But now…now it will break her."

Booth was absolutely stunned. Why had no one told him what happened to Bones when he was dead? He thought they were his friends, that they cared. The thought that she had suffered so much, that it was his fault…that pain of realization was quickly encompassing any physical pain he was currently feeling. "I didn't know. I didn't know…she seemed so-"

"Oh give me a break. You are so annoyingly perfect! Argh!" Sweets kicked him again, with more force and anger than the last time. "I am so sick of all of this. You're done. I am going to release these dogs, they are going to tear you apart, and I am going to put a bullet through my head while you scream in agony." He stopped to take a deep, cleansing breath. "I can't think of a better sound to hear as I go."

"Why kill yourself, Sweets? That's the coward's way out, and you don't seem like a coward to me. Not right now, anyway." Booth tried to keep him talking and away from those cages. He knew that as soon as they were open, those dogs were going to go right for where they smelled blood…and he was absolutely drenched in it.

"You know I will never get away with this, not really. I mean, even though the Jeffersonian isn't in charge of the investigation, when they find you Temperance will not let anyone else handle your case. And once I'm caught, I'll be sent to prison…where I'm sure an FBI profiler will not be welcome. No, I am not going to be put through that." Sweets started to unlock the first cage door. "But on the bright side, my death will be painless. Yours, however…" He chuckled darkly. "Not so much."

Hearing the barking increase only served to relax Booth, not panic him as he had expected. 'It's almost over. I can finally rest.' He began praying to himself, saying the Rosary and giving confession, despite the lack of a priest. He muttered to himself and ignored Sweets as he continued to unlock the vicious animals who were going crazy from the confines of their prisons.

The last thing Booth was aware of was the sound of a single shot.


	23. Lazarus

_**Sorry about the cliff hanger in the last chapter…I had to go make dinner. ;)**_

_**So as a reward for your endless patience and beautiful reviews, here is one more chapter tonight. **_

Chapter Twenty-Three: Lazarus

It was like a light bulb going off in your head. That was how Brennan would describe the feeling she had when she realized where Sweets had taken Booth. As illogical as it sounded, of course. But since she met Booth, her propensity for metaphor had grown by leaps and bounds.

"Here!" She said, pointing to the last sentence of the first paragraph in the note Sweets had left. "Where he says, _**'And it's your entire fault. You sent him with me.',**_ that refers to when Jamie Kenton kidnapped me! Booth blamed himself for it, for sending me with Kenton! Sweets has Booth at that warehouse!"

Hacker immediately got on his phone and began assembling a tac team to rescue Booth. But Brennan was already halfway to the doors of the lab, running at full speed and screaming at Hodgins. "Jack! I need you to come with me! We need to get to the warehouse where you and Booth found me after Kenton! Run!"

Hodgins dropped the slide he was holding and leapt down the platform's steps, catching up with Brennan as she hit the doors. As they exited, Hodgins could be heard asking Brennan if she had a gun.

"Of course. In my car. Let's go! Move!" Then, they were gone.

* * *

The ride to the warehouse was the longest car ride of Brennan's life, including the time she had joined forces with her father to save Booth from the gangster named Gallagher.

"Jack, if anything happens to Booth I will never forgive myself. I can't lose him…" Brennan kept her eyes on the road, ignoring the tears that slid down her cheeks.

"Dr. B, Booth is strong. He knows we're looking for him. And he knows that you love him. He'll hold on for you." Hodgins desperately needed to believe what he was saying himself, so he poured every ounce of sincerity he could muster into the declaration.

"I know, Jack. I know. I just hope he can hold on long enough." Brennan wiped her eyes and pushed down hard on the accelerator.

Brennan's phone began to buzz again, and knowing who it probably was she passed it to Hodgins. "Hacker. Tell him where the place is so they can meet us there. And no, I am not waiting for backup."

Hodgins relayed the information to the Deputy Director, grabbing the side of the car as Brennan took another corner at breakneck speed. Before he knew it, they skidded to a halt in the exact same place he had parked the last time he had been here.

"This is it, Temperance. Do you have your gun?"

"Yes. I have two. You need to back me up." Brennan handed Jack her small revolver, then checked the clip on her Sig. "We need to go now!"

The two of them crept into the sliding doors of the warehouse, careful not to make any sudden sounds. For a while, Hodgins led the way, remembering the path they took to get to Brennan before Kenton could kill her. They had just reached the second floor when they heard the unmistakable sounds of dogs barking. And they sounded hungry. Brennan's feet moved of their own volition, carrying her quickly and quietly to the door where the dogs sounded the loudest. From outside, they could hear someone speaking.

"_But on the bright side, my death will be painless. Yours, however…"_

Brennan pointed to one side of the door, indicating that Hodgins needed to stand off to the side as she slowly opened the door a crack. What she saw caused her heart to lurch and her stomach to roll.

Booth was naked, hanging from what looked like the exact same metal hook she had been suspended on when Kenton took her. Only Booth wasn't sitting. He was dangling by his wrists, handcuffs holding him in place. Blood ran freely down his arms and torso, continuing in rivulets until they fell on the ground, adding to an alarmingly large puddle at his feet. His feet that couldn't quite touch the ground. There were cuts, bruises and scrapes all over his body, from head to toe. Brennan suppressed the urge to cry out, desperately looking for any sign that Booth was breathing. Then, she saw it. His lips were moving. For some reason, Brennan knew that he was praying. Looking around further, she could see Sweets unlocking cages that seemed to contain the hounds of Hell. Huge, black, snarling beasts that were already chewing on the bars of the cages they were confined in. Noticing that Sweets held a gun, she signaled to Jack, nodding. Then, without so much as a warning, she kicked the door open and fired one, single shot.

Hodgins had seen that look on Brennan's face only once before. At the Checkerbox, as Pam Nunan raised her gun to fire a second shot at her. Cold, calculated, and in control. The bullet left Brennan's gun, almost in slow motion. It hit Sweets in the lower back, causing him to fall forward and drop the weapon he was holding.

"Get his weapon, Jack!" Brennan screamed, running to Booth's side. "Jesus. Booth…" She reached a trembling hand to Booth's face, trying to get his attention. "Booth…Seeley. It's me. Temperance. Bones. I'm here, you're going to be fine. It's all over…" She repeated the mantra that sounded so familiar to Hodgins, who was desperately trying to find the handcuff keys in Sweets pockets.

"Dr. B! Catch!" He threw the keys to Brennan, who barely turned around to neatly catch them in one hand.

"Jack, come help me get him down!"

Hodgins checked that Sweets couldn't move, then ran around behind Booth and put his arms around his waist. "Unlock them, and I'll hold onto him until he's free. We'll lower him slowly."

Brennan unlocked the cuffs, shocked at how fast Booth seemed to fall into Hodgins' arms. Brennan grabbed him from the front and together they lowered him to the floor. Hodgins took off his jacket and threw it over Booth's lower body after checking for injuries there.

Kneeling next to him, Brennan tried to revive Booth as Hodgins called Hacker and made sure an ambulance was on the way. "Seeley. Seeley! Talk to me! Look at me!" she pleaded. She checked his pulse again, and finding it very weak she began calling to him again. "Please, Booth! Hang on! We need you…I need you! I love you…please don't go."

Hodgins kneeled on the other side of Booth, trying to staunch the flow of blood from his various injuries. He had never seen the tough FBI agent look so bad, even when he had a bullet hole in his chest. Brennan continued to plead with Booth as the tac team arrived, swarming the room and handcuffing Sweets, who was alive but probably crippled by the shot Brennan had put in his lower back. Director Hacker fell to his knees next to Brennan, signaling the medics to come forward.

"Temperance. The medics are here. Let them take care of him for you. Okay?"

"I'm not leaving him!" Brennan clutched Booth's hand, muttering something that sounded suspiciously like a prayer.

"It's okay. You can ride with him. I promise." Hacker pulled her up so the medics could stabilize Booth and move him to a stretcher. "Let them do their job. Trust me."

Hodgins went to Brennan's other side, the two men holding her up as Booth was worked on, IV's inserted and oxygen mask in place.

"Director, we're ready. Dr. Brennan, would you follow us down the stairs?" The medic, Gomez, who had inserted the IV motioned to Brennan. She nodded and squeezed the two hands holding hers as she walked off to follow the gurney. A flurry of movement came from the bed as Brennan heard, so softly she thought at first that it was her imagination, the one thing that started her heart beating again.

"Bones?"


	24. Tempus Fugit

Chapter Twenty-Four: Tempus Fugit

Brennan was trying to keep her eyes open, staring at Booth's slack features and mentally willing him to respond to her. A week of camping out in the hospital had erased any pretense of the always put-together Dr. Brennan, and left a heart-sore, worried woman in love in her place. She absently stroked his arm as she thought about the last seven days. The fear and anguish on Angela and Cam's faces when they saw Booth for the first time after he was brought to a room in intensive care, the amazed look on the doctor's face when they first got Booth stabilized, the surprisingly strong and constant support of Hodgins and Andrew, both of whom decided that they were going to share the responsibility of taking care of Brennan in Booth's stead…all moments in a living nightmare that she was desperate to forget.

A small voice urged her out of her reverie and forced her to turn her head from Booth's impassive face.

"Dr. Bones?" Parker poked his head into the room, smiling at Brennan as he took his place beside her. Booth's son had been at her side every day, holding her hand as she held his father's, and it became an unspoken ritual of sorts to them both. Completing the chain, Rebecca stood beside Parker and took his other hand, nodding towards Booth.

"He looks like he has more color today." She spoke, hopefully.

Brennan nodded, grateful that someone else had acknowledged what she was sure was her own wishful thinking. "He really does. The doctor was in earlier, and he said that since his body is healing so well and so fast, his brain should be ready to catch up, as well. He just needs the rest so badly."

"Don't worry, Bones. My dad is tough and he loves us. He'll wake up when he gets not-so-tired anymore. I'm sure he misses us." Parker, in his own sweet way, had also taken on the load of caring for and reassuring Brennan. He knew that's what his daddy would want him to do…take care of his Bones. Brennan kissed Parker's hair and nodded again.

"You're right, Park. He just needs his rest."

The interaction between her son and Brennan never ceased to amaze Rebecca. While she had not had the opportunity before now to really get to know Temperance, sitting in the hospital room with her this week, talking about nothing and everything, she could easily see why Seeley had fallen in love with the good doctor. Beyond what she showed the world, Brennan was warm, caring and devoted…and it made Rebecca happy to know that she made Seeley happy. No one deserved it more than he. And Brennan's obvious love for Parker was the icing on the cake. Rebecca knew that not only did Temperance love Parker, but she would protect him with her own life. Knowing that someone else besides his mother and father would be as fiercely loyal and protective towards Parker gave her a peace that surprised her. Add to that the "squints" and Max's adoration of Parker as well, and her son was richly blessed with a varied and devoted village.

_The beeping of the monitor was the second thing that Booth noticed about his surroundings. The first being her scent. It was everywhere, enveloping him. A mix of jasmine, clean linen and something uniquely Bones. He knew that she would be there, felt it with every fiber of his being…but the reality of her was so much more. _

_In those last moments, when he knew that Sweets was unlocking those cages and his life was going to end in a way he never imagined in his most horrifying nightmares, when he began praying to God and Mary and all the saints he could think of in his damaged state, it was the memory of her and Parker that kept him from slipping away without a fight. Her eyes, her smile, her smooth skin…her. Parker smiling at something silly he had done, laughing with Bones at a joke Max told, Parker throwing his little arms around his neck and telling him that he loved him…it all melted together and tethered him to this life like an anchor. And for the first time since his Pops had taken him in and saved him from his father's fists, he felt safe again. _

An hour after they had arrived, Rebecca stood and stretched, smiling as Parker imitated her actions. "C'mon, bub. We need to get you home. It's almost bedtime."

"Aw, Mom. Can't I stay just a little longer? I promise I'll get up for school in the morning!" Parker whined, wanting to stay close. Brennan shook her head in amusement, getting ready to open her mouth to offer Rebecca some back up.

"Park. Listen to your mother."

The croaky voice chastising Parker made all three of their heads whip around in shock.

"Booth!"

"Dad!"

"Seeley!"

Brennan leaned over the bed, staring intently in the brown eyes that she had been waiting to see open for a week, tears shining in her own. "Booth? Can you hear me?"

"Bones, I can hear you just fine. Quit crying and give me a kiss." Booth lifted his head slightly and gingerly placed a light kiss on her lips. "I'm a little banged up, I'm not deaf."

"Dad!" Parker threw himself at the bed, scrambling up to his father's side and giving him a light hug, remembering that he was still injured. "We waited so long for you to wake up! Bones and me have been here the whole time! Well, not me cause Mom wouldn't let me sleep here but Bones is always here, and so is Max and Angela and-"

"Okay, okay, Little Man. Take a breath." Booth couldn't help but chuckle at his son's enthusiasm. He looked to Brennan questioningly. "You've been here the whole time?"

"As if anyone could get me to leave. And it's nothing you wouldn't have done, so save the lecture." Her face softened, a grin replacing the scowl. "I'm just glad that you're back."

Rebecca leaned over Parker and placed a kiss on Booth's forehead. "Don't worry, Seeley. Between Parker and me, Angela, Mr. Keenan, the rest of the squints and even Director Hacker, Temperance was well taken care of. We made sure of it."

"Thanks, Bec. I appreciate that more than you know." Booth was amazed at the comfort level that was obvious between his ex and his Bones.

"Oh, I know. Believe me." Rebecca smirked, picking Parker up from the bed and setting him back to the floor. "Come on now, Parker. Kiss your dad and Dr. Brennan and say goodnight. You can come back right after school tomorrow, I promise."

"But Dad's awake now! I want to see him!" Parker dug in his heels for a fight, wanting to stay close to his dad.

"Your dad still needs his rest, Park. And it is getting late." Brennan tried to reason with the obviously distressed boy. "I'll tell you what. If it's okay with your mom, I'll come pick you up from school and you can hang out here with your dad until your mom gets done with work. That will give you more time with him. Okay?" She looked to Rebecca, getting a nod in the affirmative.

Parker may have been a child, but he knew when he was beat. "Okay. I guess. Thanks, Dr. Bones." He reached up and hugged Brennan around the middle tight, as she ran her fingers through his shaggy curls.

"Anytime, Parker. Now say goodnight to your dad so he can get some more sleep."

Booth gratefully accepted another hug from Parker and another kiss from Rebecca before they left the room, Parker jabbering excitedly. Once the door closed behind them, Booth sighed contentedly.

"I love him more than just about anything, but five minutes of him and I'm already exhausted again." He smiled at Brennan, patting the side of the bed and urging her to join him.

Brennan laughed, taking a seat next to him and linking her hand with his. "He missed you so much. We all did."

"How long have I been out?"

"A week. It was touch and go for a day or so, but you held on like you always do and came back to us. To me." She brushed a stray tear from her cheek and bent to kiss him on the lips again. "I knew you wouldn't give up."

"I knew you wouldn't give up." He whispered back, holding her hand tighter.

They both smiled at the shared memory the words they spoke brought to mind.

Brennan squeezed his hand, leaning down to kiss him again. "I need to let the doctor know that you're awake. And then you really do need to get some more rest."

"C'mon, Bones! I've been sleeping for a week!"

She glared at him, brooking no argument. "Booth. You've had both shoulders separated, one dislocated elbow, a deep cut on your back that required twenty-five stitches, lacerations on your wrists that caused you to lose almost half your blood volume, and you were drugged with a horse tranquilizer. You need to rest."

Booth sighed, knowing it wasn't worth fighting about. Besides, he did still feel like he could sleep. And he ached. Everywhere. "Ok. I got it." He looked down at the blankets, weighing his next words before speaking. "Bones? What happened to Sweets?"

Sighing, Brennan sat back down on the bed next to him, taking the hand that she had dropped while she lectured him. "He is going to be paralyzed for the rest of his life."

"What?!? What the hell happened? And why?" Booth knew, deep down, what had happened but he needed to hear the words.

"I shot him in the back." She responded in a small voice. "And I am not sorry."

Booth leaned his head against hers, not able to take her in his arms like he wanted to so desperately. "Oh, babe. I am so sorry that you had to do that."

"Don't be. I would do it again." Brennan's voice picked up strength as she told him the story of how she had figured out where he was, of grabbing Hodgins and running ahead of the tac team to find him, of shooting Sweets just as he was releasing the dogs. "He had a gun and was going to shoot himself. I couldn't allow that. He had to pay."

Something in her voice made Booth shiver slightly, but he shook it off when he realized that he probably sounded similar whenever she was threatened in any way. The deep, basic instinct to protect those you loved brought that out in him…and he recognized a kindred soul. "Thank you, Bones. I love you more than I can ever say."

"You never have to say anything. Just say you'll never leave me."

"Never."


	25. Sunshine Days

_Since this is the last chapter, I want to take a minute to thank everyone who took the time to post a review. I appreciate everyone's input and support. But I especially would like to give shout-outs to __**Nedra1212 **__(my very first reviewer!), __**boothandbones4ever, Nyre The Black Rose, bookwormlady, VENZwife, RandomWriterChick, stooger, CookiesandCream9196 and mustanggirlz07 **__for sticking with me and for the constant encouragement. You all made this so much easier than it would have been without you._

_Thanks again._

_Oh, and in case I forgot to mention it, I don't own Bones. If I did, Booth would never wear a shirt on camera. Even in the winter. _

Epilogue: Sunshine Days

Brennan sat on the wrap-around porch of her new home, relishing the warmth of the sun beating down after a long, hard winter and fully relaxing for the first time in a very long time.

In the aftermath of Sweets' reign of terror, Brennan spent the majority of her time helping Booth as he recovered at her apartment. She drove him to physical therapy three times a week for four months, made up her spare room so that Parker could spend every weekend with them, and hosted bi-weekly dinners with the squints, the intern of the week, Max, Hacker and Rebecca. Brennan had discovered that not only had her chosen family grown, but that she needed them close to her and Booth as he regained his former strength and they deepened their relationship together. They all had been a constant source of support and love and she didn't know what they would have done without them. More than one kind of family, indeed.

Not long after Booth was released from the hospital, Brennan had contacted Carol Grant about designing and building a new home on the banks of the river in Tucker County as a surprise for Booth. The home took just under nine months to complete, and Booth had been absolutely bowled over when she drove him out to see it for the first time. Brennan knew that he loved the whole house, but she suspected that the media room with the 100 inch television was his favorite part.

Now they were finally having their first barbeque at the new place, complete with loved ones and assorted interns in attendance. Russ and Amy were the only notable missing, as Amy was about to give birth to their first child and didn't want to chance the trip. But those who were there seemed to be having a great time as Booth commandeered the grill, announcing that no one else knew what they were doing, but graciously allowed Max to be his "right-hand man" and assist. Hot dogs, hamburgers, sausages and tofu dogs for Brennan were cooking away, sending a delicious-smelling smoke wafting into the warm summer air. Andrew and Wendell seemed to be beating Hodgins and Clark quite handily at a pickup football game and everyone else had congregated either on the deck, chatting or on the dock, fishing. Angela came walking up to the porch, fruity drink in hand and knowing grin on her face.

"So, sweetie. Having a good time?" She plopped down on the porch swing next to Brennan, sending it rocking back and forth.

Brennan grinned, never taking her eyes off Booth at the grill. "I really am, Ang. This turned out better than I ever thought it would. Everyone seems to be enjoying themselves."

"And how could they not? You're the hostess with the mostess, Bren!" Giggling, Angela tapped her drink against Brennan's and saluted her. "You've come a long way, baby."

Laughing, Brennan had to agree. "I do feel like I am much more open to forming solid relationships with live people, that's true. And I couldn't have picked a better group of people to call 'family'."

"Wow, Brennan. No matter how often I hear you say it, it still floors me. 'Family'. I never thought I'd live to see the day."

"Me either, Ang. Me either."

* * *

After everyone had gotten their fill of the excellent food, fun games and good company, most of the guests began piling into their cars and leaving. Rebecca and Parker, Hodgins, Angela, and Cam were the lone stragglers, but eventually even they decided to head back to civilization, thanking Booth and Brennan and passing out kisses and hugs before driving off in a hail of honking horns.

Booth stretched after putting the last of the leftovers in the refrigerator, still a little stiff in the shoulders even now, after a long day. Brennan snuck up behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist, laying her head between his shoulder blades and sighing.

"It was a good day, huh Bones? Everyone had a great time." Booth turned his head slightly, trying to see her face.

"It really was. I'm just glad that everyone was able to make it. I noticed that Andrew's new girlfriend seemed to hit it off with Rebecca. They made plans to go shopping next week." Brennan chuckled at the tangled web of connections they continued to form.

"Yeah, Trish seems like a really nice woman. I'm glad Andrew found her. He deserves someone like that."

"Andrew, huh?" Brennan replied, turning Booth in her arms and giving him an eyebrow raise.

Booth ducked his head slightly and sighed. "He insisted. My calling him "Boss" or "Director" while we were fishing was driving him nuts, he said."

"Good. You know he's family now. First name basis and all that."

"I know. I'll never be able to repay him or the rest of them for taking care of us…taking care of you when all that went down last year." Booth wrapped his arms around Brennan, sitting his chin on top of her head. "We really are blessed."

"We are. Now, go upstairs and get ready for bed. I'll finish up down here.", she ordered, playfully slapping him on the behind to get him moving.

Booth laughed as he ducked out of her way. "Okay, okay Mom! Geez!"

Booth headed upstairs and walked down the hallway to the large master bedroom. The four poster bed, the centerpiece of the room, looked so inviting that he just had to lie down for a few minutes, barely noticing that his eyes were drifting shut within seconds.

The next thing he was aware of was Brennan, clearing her throat from the doorway. He slowly opened one eye, looking at her feet, which were encased in what looked like black saddle shoes. Opening the other eye, his gaze drifted up…to her white knee-high socks. _'Oh, Lord' _he thought. He took in the rest of her outfit with unabashed lust. The short, plaid skirt, white button-down shirt tied at her trim waist, and her hair…in pigtails.

"Bones?" He questioned, sitting up with a wide grin. "What are you wearing?"

"What? Don't you like it, Booth? I believe you requested it some time ago. Catholic schoolgirl, at your service." Brennan pushed off the doorway, sidling up to the bed before stopping between his legs and grinning cheekily.

"Oh, Bones…you're the best!"

"And don't you forget it, Booth."


End file.
